Gozo Bishop Mario Grech has called on people to follow in Christ's footsteps instead of using the Church for their own personal or organisational advantage. "During this period of titular feasts, there are those who use the Church to show their power by letting off an exaggerated amount of petards, without taking into consideration the impact these have on other people," Mgr Grech said.

We would respectfully submit that the time is nigh for action as well as words. Many people are now voicing their concern, not only about excessive petards, but also about excessive bells, excessive drinking, and excessive partisan conflicts between some of the churches during these feasts.

This problem particularly afflicts the feasts of San Gorg and Santa Marija in Victoria, culminating in a very unchristian confrontation between the opposing sides in St Georges Square. Where else in the civilised world would one witness such a confrontation, or hear allegations of such incidents as the ones outlined in the press release published here?

What must the rest of the world think when they read about what takes place in the name of the Church?

The Church and the Government need to do more than just condemn, they need to utilise existing laws and regulations, and if necessary enact new ones, to prevent these abuses from continuing, or indeed escalating even further out of control.