Cathedral foundation criticises Opposition motion

The Opposition wants the right of veto over the decisions of the EU Funds’ Projects Selection Committee, the St John’s Foundation and Mepa, foundation president Mgr Philip Calleja said.

In a reaction to the Opposition’s motion in Parliament to stop the extension of St John’s Museum, Mgr Calleja said the Opposition seemed to be ignoring the fact that the foundation had duly responded to an official call for applications for EU funding and its project was judged to be both in line with the published criteria and worthy of selection.

“Since funds are still available for other projects that might be submitted by other entities in the future, the requested ‘veto’ of this major project that will help the conservation of St John’s CoCathedral – Malta’s foremost monument and most visited tourist site – is illogical,” he said.

Mgr Calleja also remarked that the Malta Environment and Planning Authority had now made public the project description statement for the forthcoming environment impact assessment on the proposed extension.

The PDS was available for public consultation at Mepa and at the Valletta council. Anyone who truly believed that the proposed project would damage St John’s in some way had the opportunity to ensure that his or her point was covered by the EIA.

Mgr Calleja again appealed for Mepa to be allowed to do its job by ensuring the most professional examination possible of what was being proposed by the CoCathedral’s Foundation. He stressed that the foundation would not do anything that in any way damaged the fabric of the CoCathedral.

Mgr Calleja expressed surprise that the Opposition Leader was repeating the claim that the project could be located elsewhere in Valletta in a building that was not connected to the CoCathedral:

“Unfortunately this claim clearly illustrates that the Opposition has not understood that it is essential that the extension be connected to the CoCathedral.”

This would ensure:

- the display of the treasures commissioned specifically for the CoCathedral within the precincts of the CoCathedral; and

- the planning of a visitors’ route within and around St John’s that would allow all its wonders to be seen in comfort while limiting the period of time spent within the church itself.

While the foundation wanted the CoCathedral and Museum to welcome as many visitors as possible due also to the importance of this site for Malta’s tourism, 470,000 visitors each year were having an effect on the decorated marble floor and the Mattia Preti ceiling of the church.

In the foundation’s opinion, both these aims could only be fulfilled if the museum extension was physically part of the St John’s CoCathedral complex.

“The motivation behind the project is conservation. It is important for all to realise that the number of people visiting St John’s CoCathedral each year is now exceeding the entire population of Malta and Gozo.”

Mgr Calleja also said that, contrary to what has been stated in the Opposition motion, the major cultural, environmental and heritage NGOs had not taken a stand against the project and were waiting for the EIA to be carried out before pronouncing themselves.