Prelate takes offence at MP's comments

The president of the St John's Co-Cathedral Foundation, Mgr Philip Calleja yesterday strongly denied allegations made by Nationalist MP Jeffrey Pullicino Orlando in Parliament that he was being used as a mouthpiece for someone else.

Referring to Dr Pullicino Orlando's speech in Parliament last Tuesday, Mgr Calleja said he was deeply saddened that the MP chose to address the House to make false allegations about him.

Dr Pullicino Orlando described a statement issued by the foundation in defence of the planned extension of the co-cathedral museum as "verbal manoeuvres" against him and accused Mgr Calleja of allowing himself to be used as a "mouthpiece".

Mgr Calleja said: "In the very many years I have been active in various roles in public life I have never been faced with such unjust and untruthful allegations. This is an uncalled for attack on my personal integrity and on a foundation which works very hard to safeguard one of Malta's best treasures".

Tuesday's was Dr Pullicino Orlando's second attack on the foundation's proposed extension of the museum. Earlier this month, he rubbished the project saying the government should divert the funds away from the "extravagant" project onto the urgent restoration of forts St Elmo and St Angelo.

The co-cathedral had reacted strongly the following day saying that, rather than "deciding for Mepa", the MP should let the decision-making process run as it should.

Such a statement may have been a veiled reference to the electoral controversy Dr Pullicino Orlando got embroiled in after Labour exposed an application for an open-air disco which was to be built on ecologically sensitive land the MP owns in Mistra. Mepa members involved in the case said they had approved the controversial project after they were pressured by the MP. Dr Pullicino Orlando insisted he had done nothing that went beyond the manner he acted when dealing with a request by a constituent.

Mgr Calleja yesterday echoed a statement he made on November 14, saying, the foundation is determined to allow Mepa to carry out its work without any interference or pressure. "Dr Pullicino Orlando should do the same and avoid using his position as a member of Parliament to put pressure on Mepa," he said.

He said the foundation was equally disappointed by the argument made by the MP that St John's Co-Cathedral did not deserve the investment the foundation was committed to make in order to ensure it and its historical surroundings were safeguarded and preserved.

"From the way he spoke in Parliament it is reasonable to conclude that, for Dr Pullicino Orland, the safeguarding, preservation and upkeep of St John's Co-Cathedral is not a priority. That is a very sad statement to be made by anyone but coming from an MP these statements are shocking," he said.