Once, Noel and Chris could not have imagined a future of marriage and family – which has been welcomed by the Catholic community. They spoke to Jessica Arena.
Four years into their marriage, Chris and Noel Vella Galea are celebrating a new milestone: the Holy Communion of their son Daniel.
“I think some parts of society are not really aware that gay couples can marry and adopt children. Even doctors sometimes falter at dealing with same-sex families,” Noel says.
“But on the whole we are met with a profoundly positive experience from most people.”
The couple, who were married in 2016, adopted their eight-year-old son Daniel from Portugal two years ago. To document their experience, they also run the blog Two Papas Malta.
“We wanted him to be baptised and be able to do Holy Communion with the other children,” Chris says.
“We’ve never encountered problems in this regard. Not at school, not at church. We just went in and spoke and we were always welcomed.”
“Daniel has not experienced bullying because of this,” Noel interjects.
“We’re often asked if we’re worried that he might experience negative things. Everything you do in life is going to be met with challenges and if you hold on...