At yesterday’s Pontifical Mass at Xaghra Parish Church, Gozo Bishop, Mario Grech, appealed for prayers for the victims and families of last Sunday’s fireworks factory explosion in Gharb, as well as their parish communities. He said that the human tragedy had been a great shock for everybody.

Mgr. Grech also gave his appreciation to the parish priests of both Fontana and Xewkija where the victims lived, for the dedication and love shown by them.

The Bishop said that the tragic loss of life would have of course have created reflections on the value of life and that the feast of the Nativity of our Lady was a celebration of life, which was to be safeguarded from conception till natural death.

The Bishop went on to greet the parish community of Xaghra and the parish priest, who, he said, had made significant gestures to show their sensitivity at what happened, particularly by having created a fund to show their solidarity with the victims and those who had suffered damages.

Mgr. Grech said that he was well aware of the hardships endured by the Xaghra parish priest over the decisions he had had to make.

The Bishop concluded by saying that culturally the letting off of fireworks is associated with religious feasts and that serious incidents related to fireworks easily created a stain on the religious celebrations. Therefore he said, he will be setting up a Commission to advise him on directives to be issued to the diocese regarding the the use of fireworks during the feast festivities.

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