Just a month ago, a whole nation voted to reject God’s laws on marriage. You probably read little or nothing about it in the news. Yet this has really rocked the Vatican, for the nation in question is the most Catholic of all: Malta, the island that boasts more cathedrals than there are days in the year, with a Catholic icon seemingly on every street corner. The majority population in Malta has sent a message to the Vatican that it rejects its rules on marriage.

Less than twice the size of Washington, d.c., at only 122 square miles (316 square kilometers), the Mediterranean island of Malta catapulted into the headlines in Europe when the news broke of this most Catholic of nations’ affirmative majority answer to the question: “Is marriage obsolete?”

Catholic conservatives on the island of Malta were rocked when on May 28 their country joined all other European nations in a mounting trend when 72 percent of its citizens voted 53.2 percent “yes” to a referendum legalizing divorce.

The result left the Philippines and Vatican City as the only nation-states on Earth that do not legally recognize divorce. Days later the Philippines indicated it was also considering legalizing divorce.

The Maltese majority vote on legalizing the sundering of marriage vows reminded me of a very different time: In 1995, when my new wife and I headed to this island jewel in the Mediterranean for our honeymoon.

We still recall the sunrise and sunset walks along the rim of spectacular Valletta harbor as we soaked in this unique city. One of the most concentrated of archeological and historical areas of interest in the world, Valletta boasts 320 monuments confined to just 55 hectares of space. Nestled between southern Europe and the North African rim, its mild rainy winters and hot dry summers have made it an attractive tourist destination—at least until its recent inundation by hoards of illegal immigrants fleeing the chaos in North Africa.

During our stay we learned how the country became a possession of the British Commonwealth in 1814, tenaciously supporting the United Kingdom in two world wars. Declaring independence in 1964, Malta formed a republic and set about developing its location and resources—particularly its bays and harbors, which it turned into key freight transshipment points. In 2004, Malta became an EU member state; four years later, it adopted the euro currency.

Much has changed in Malta since that visit. Today, with 68.5 percent of the population aged between 15 and 64, they are increasingly seeking out-of-wedlock relationships or legalized divorce via neighboring countries.

The Census report for 2005 cited a 1 in 25 rate of divorce in the country but forecast a dramatic rise to 1 in 10 citizens having a failed marriage by 2015. Add to this a downturn in parish turnout as noted by the Discern Institute’s “Catholic Family Values: Civil Marriages and Marriage Breakdown” report of 2007. The report indicated that in 1967 81.9 percent of all Maltese attended Sunday Mass; by 2005 that number had dropped to 51 percent. The report noted that “All the previous social studies carried out among samples or sectors of Maltese society have shown a trend towards deterioration in the traditional Catholic moral and family values of the population. The attitude towards sexuality and the associated problems of sexually transmitted disease including cervical carcinoma and out-of-wedlock pregnancies have been clearly demonstrated in the study ….”

Malta’s majority vote for divorce is consistent with trends in developed societies today. Leftist views denigrating traditional moral values have deeply penetrated the West over the past half century. Even nations with entrenched traditions of monogamy are succumbing to pervasive hedonism.

The Vatican, after applying pressure by various means to obtain a “no” vote, is now highly embarrassed by Malta’s pro-divorce stance. It has remained largely silent since the May 28 referendum.

Vatican Pressure and Concern

With Malta’s overwhelmingly Catholic population sharply divided over the legalization of divorce, the Vatican has been working diligently to halt the slide away from traditional marriage.

Pope Benedict XVI’s most recent visit to Malta was in April 2010. Originally the visit was scheduled as a celebration of the Apostle Paul’s shipwreck of a.d. 60 on the country’s island shores. However, a sexual abuse scandal took center stage: Benedict was forced to address the outcry after three of the country’s priests were accused of sexually abusing 10 boys in a Catholic orphanage. On this trip, the pope called upon locals to repent of their sins. During his flight from Rome, he told reporters, “Malta loves Christ, who loves His church, which is His body, even if this body is wounded by our sins.”

Anti-divorce supporters set up billboards across the country in the lead-up to the referendum, some picturing an effeminate-looking depiction of Christ, stating, “Christ Yes, Divorce No.” The Maltese church also distributed pamphlets citing a dozen reasons for voting no. Some priests, it was reported, even threatened to refuse communion to those who voted yes. Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi campaigned hard against a yes vote, while opposition Labor Party leader Joseph Muscat led the pro-divorce movement and claimed victory with the majority vote, citing Malta’s unity with all EU countries that recognize divorce. Abortion remains a crime in the country by law, while up till now annulment by special order of the church was the only other option available to those who desired divorce.

Yet the Catholic Church is struggling in its efforts to encourage monogamous marriage between man and woman these days, particularly due to the lurid examples of priestly pedophilia that have received global publicity.

But, in reality, Malta’s recent vote does not change the power or reduce the influence of the EU’s church in that nation. The yes vote of its citizens now faces fierce debate among parliamentarians as the controversial bill approaches the rocky road to enforcement. Vatican lobbyists will be seeking to sink the legislation in this most Catholic of EU member nations.

Happy Marriage and Family

It is important to note the vast difference between traditional Catholic teaching on marriage and the Almighty’s intent in creating the divine institution of marriage to be expressed via the natural union between man and woman.

To the Catholic Church, monogamous marriage brings stability in society, and its tradition of teaching against contraception is geared to increase the population of its parishes.

God’s intent, on the other hand, is to use marriage to ultimately reproduce a divine, eternal family.

Herbert Armstrong wrote the following in Why Marriage! Soon Obsolete?

Marriage is a most sacred supernatural blessing—and its violation, once entered into, is a capital sin, imposing the penalty of capital punishment!—eternal punishment! Eternal death! Unless each repents—turns from the sin—and receives salvation by God’s grace through Christ.Marriage was given mankind to prepare us for eternal life in the divine God Family! Two of the Ten Commandments of God’s basic spiritual law directly and specifically protect the sacred marriage state.There can be no more wonderful physical blessing in this mortal human life than a happy marriage, based on true love, honor, integrity and faithfulness—especially when there are growing children to love, care for, teach and rear in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Jesus Christ. Marriage soon to become obsolete? Never!

Sixteen years on from our honeymoon in Malta, my wife and I often recount to our children the wonderful sights, sounds and stories of our experience on that fascinating Mediterranean island. Malta’s recent referendum reminded us of two marriage-saving books we studied prior to our marriage. To ignore the truths they contain is to resign oneself to matrimonial shipwreck on the rocks of pain, sorrow, loneliness and unhappiness. To apply them is to allow this lighthouse of truth to guide your life, your marriage and family into safe harbor, enjoying the ongoing happiness and bliss that our benevolent Creator intended be the outcome.

Request your free copy of Why Marriage! Soon Obsolete? along with The Missing Dimension in Sex. Their author, Herbert Armstrong, noted: “All married people need this knowledge if their marriages are to be preserved in happiness. It is the lack of this knowledge which has caused 90 percent of all marital unhappiness, contention, separation and divorce.”

This world needs people who will take a stand for marriage and family—God’s intended way! You can start today on the path to a happier life, marriage and family by studying and obeying the God-given laws of marriage and the family!