Imprisoned in a maze

To honour the great apostle Paul, our ancestors in Mosta decided to dedicate a chapel in the Rotunda to him. Some years back, the archpriest of that time had rightly decided to add a statue of St Paul on the left hand side of the parvis together with the other pillar of the Church, St Peter, on the right. Both are the work of Maltese sculptor Marco Montebello.

It is sad that a maze of wood has been erected around the statue of St Paul in the name of a ramp for the disabled, without any pre-knowledge of the parishioners about its structure and location.

Now let me be clear. I would not like to be accused of being against having a ramp for these unfortunate persons. The people of Mosta, including myself, would like to provide one to satisfy the needs of these persons and also the law. It is also true that whatever is constructed will be an eyesore, but it surely could have been done better than this contraption. In order to overcome 18 inches of height, one has to make one's way around this statue in a number of bends, which make the saint look as though he is lost in a labyrinth. Was this necessary?

The ideal place for this structure would have been behind the statue, as it would have required only one bend.

What has Mepa got to say? Has it sanctioned the structure?

I would have objected had I seen the plans. It is time that parishioners are consulted before such projects go ahead, instead of being left with a fait accompli.