Return the Citadel guns

On behalf of my committee, I would like to endorse the appeal made by Mgr Anton Gauci (The Sunday Times, May 13) to Dr Mario Tabone, chairman of Heritage Malta, to return the Citadel guns to Gozo.

The two bronze guns which were transported by military personnel from the steps of the Gozo Cathedral during the night should be returned to the Gozitans without further delay.

These guns were placed on the Cathedral steps in July 1969 when the late Dr Giorgio Borg Olivier, Prime Minister of Malta, acceded to the wish of the Gozo Cathedral Chapter and loaned them to the Gozo Cathedral Chapter.  

Mr Anton Tabone, then an MP, and now Speaker of the House of Representatives, had fully endorsed the chapter's petition.

For the past 37 years, these guns had graced the steps of the Gozo Cathedral and thousands of visitors, foreign and Maltese, cherish beautiful photographs with these guns.

The guns were removed on the excuse that they are being restored.

I appeal to Gozo Minister Giovanna Debono to intervene to see that as soon as these guns are restored, they are returned to the people of Gozo and placed somewhere in the Citadel.

I also ask Pierre Cassar, communications officer of Heritage Malta, to put our minds at rest that Heritage Malta acted according to law in removing these guns.

Heritage Malta, as the operator of Malta's public museums, needed the permission of the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage, the regulator of Malta's heritage, to remove  these guns.