The church yesterday announced an agreement between two clubs in Paola and the Curia which will enable the parish to celebrate the feast of Christ the King.
The feast, which had been cancelled in the past two years, will be held on July 28.
In a statement, the Curia said the agreement between the GM Fra Antoine De Paule Philharmonic Society - Kristu Re Band and the Ghaqda Zghazagh Pawlisti, which was acceptable to the church authorities, had paved the way for the feast to start being held again.
The Curia said that according to provisions in the agreement, whenever the Ghaqda Zghazagh Pawlisti takes part in the feast, a band from outside Christ the King parish would have to take part.
It also provides that the same society would organise celebrations during two band marches organised in connection with the feast.
For these two band marches, one of the bands could be invited to Paola by the same society, while the band which plays in the second march would be invited by the parish.
The Curia said the agreement also determined the role of the GM Fra Antoine De Paule Philharmonic Society - Kristu Re Band in the salute to the statue of Christ the King. The statue is being used for the second time in this year's feast.
The agreement also regulates the role of the GM Fra Antoine De Paule Philharmonic Society - Kristu Re Band and the Ghaqda Zghazagh Pawlisti in different aspects of the feast such as street decorations, celebrations and the colours used during the feast.
It also stipulates that any innovation to the feast was subject to approval by the feast committee which is presided by the parish priest.
If any part of the agreement were breached, the case would be put before a retired judge who will be free to decide on a fine or the suspension of the defaulting society from participating in the titular feast or in other parish celebrations during the year.
Last year, the church said it had been forced to suspend the feast of Christ the King because of the attitude taken by the Ghaqda Socjali Muzikali Kristu Sultan, a band which had emerged from the Ghaqda Zghazagh Pawlisti.
The Ghaqda Socjali Muzikali Kristu Sultan which had never participated in the feast had claimed it should take part in the feast last year, something which went against the 1999 Curia decree on the participation of new band clubs in church feasts.
The decree was published after the church felt that the division in parishes was escalating in localities where new band clubs were set up and in which there already was an established band club.
The decree had stated that there would be no collaboration with new band clubs in places where there already were established clubs.
The decree also pointed out that new clubs that had never participated in church feasts would neither be invited to take part nor would they be accepted to take part in any celebration.
Last year, the Curia also ordered the cancellation of the feast of St Joseph in Kalkara for this year after incidents that occurred between supporters of two band clubs during the feast in July last year.
The Curia had stated that as soon as the band clubs drew up an agreement on their role in the feast, it would be considered and if found to be acceptable the feast would be allowed to go ahead.
In recent years the Curia has taken the drastic decision to cancel feasts where rivalry between band clubs led to incidents or when there was discord between them.
Cancellation of the Kalkara feast had been just one of three 'remedies' ordered by the Curia following the Kalkara incidents.