At the start of the festa season in Gozo, Bishop Mario Grech made an appeal to all parishes at the end of a Pontifical Mass to celebrate St Paul's Shipwreck in Munxar, saying that he calls on all the parish communities and the Festa organisers to heed to what the Parish Priest says.
"Lack of respect for the priest is disrespect to the Bishop," he said. "If you create this atmosphere, I will consider not taking part in the festivities. The old saying is that the festas are a tempest; but avoid the tempest that ravages the person both spiritually and socially."
Bishop Grech recommended that small groups should not be left to 'seize' and take over the parish feast, or what should be a celebration of joy and unity, would be reduced to an occasion for insults, offences and division.
He mentioned the fact that some Parish Priests are having to spend their time and energy "on secondary matters and sometimes without effect, when they should be applying their time to their pastoral ministry, where their work is more necessary and urgent."
"If there is evidence of these issues in external festa activities, then the feata becomes an anti-evangelical celebration and therefore the whole situation would have to be reviewed. This applies to all parish communities of the Diocese," Bishop Grech said.