Nadur carnival
Nine to be charged
Nine Maltese people aged between 20 and 35 years are expected to be arraigned in connection with offensive behaviour and costumes used during the Nadur carnival, the police said.
The police said steps were taken after the public statements made by Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech about the behaviour of certain individuals and costumes worn during this year's carnival in Nadur.
The nine people investigated by the police will face charges under section 338 (o) of the Criminal Code which bars people from dressing up as priests and/or donning Church vestments or naval/military uniforms without a permit.
In addition, the police said they had also filed charges in relation to other contraventions during the three-day Nadur carnival.
Police investigations were still in progress.
A spokesman for the Justice and Home Affairs Ministry said photographs published in the media demonstrated that the behaviour was "not simply a case of people dressing up as Christ or the saints" but more a question of public indecency and offending religious sentiment.
"It is good for society to defend the rights of minorities who have different views from the majority of the public. But no one should have the right to ridicule the belief of others in this way," Mgr Cremona and Mgr Grech said in statement.
They called on the authorities to defend the rights of the public, adding that this applied not only to the religious beliefs of most of the people of Malta and Gozo but also to public decency in general.
The bishops condemned what had taken place and said those involved needed to recognise and respect the people's religious and civil rights. They pointed out that what had happened was in violation of the law, which safeguarded values for the common good.
The bishops said that if no action was taken, the authorities would be endorsing and approving such illegal behaviour, adding that they were sure this was not the case. Furthermore, they said, this should not be allowed to happen again.
cperegin@timesofmalta.com