Outrage follows Archbishop statements

Maltese Archbishop slammed 'for address praising stay-at-home mothers', writes Gudrun Schultz in Canadian LifeSite:

Maltese Archbishop Mgr. Joseph Mercieca triggered an outpouring of criticism with his recent address calling for greater support and praise of mothers who remain home to care for their small children. The Archbishop called on the state to do everything in its power to help parents give their children the upbringing children deserve, stating that if young parents cannot raise their children together properly because both are “constrained” to work out of the home, that would be “sowing harm” in the lives of the children.

Further, Archbishop Mercieca condemned the modern depiction of the mother who stays home as a “failure” and old-fashioned, saying her noble choice should be recognized and supported in a concrete way. Outrage and dismissal from political and social leaders followed the Archbishop’s statements, the Times of Malta reported. Minister for the Family and Social Solidarity, Cristina Dolores, said his comments would generate guilt among women who had chosen to enter the workforce, and advised him to focus on the problem of missing fathers instead. The executive director of the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality reacted to the address by calling for better social structures that would allow both parents to maintain “personal development” while giving children the care they need.