Stop this auction tradition now

It is noon in Mġarr, Malta. Outside the church, the parish priest starts reciting the Angelus in front of a sizeable crowd. One would ordinarily imagine that this would be the prelude to some other religious activity but, no, these prayers are instead followed by an auction! An auction to sell to the highest bidder/s the honour of carrying the statue of Our Lady of the Assumption during the evening procession at the Mġarr feast.

August 21 will be the day of this year’s feast at Mġarr and I am writing about this controversial tradition some weeks before it is due to be continued in an effort to raise more public awareness about the need to put a stop, once and for all, to an event that only serves to humiliate us Maltese, especially in the eyes of foreigners, such as tourists, who are present on such occasions.

I am informed that the present statue of Our Lady of the Assumption was first carried in procession at Mġarr in 1922. That year, it was only those who had financially contributed towards the expenses of the statue who were given the privilege of carrying it. The following year, there were so many people who wanted to carry the statue that the parish priest decided to start the practice of allocating the privilege to the highest bidder/s. A deplorable decision, in my opinion. While it is true that the proceeds from this auction go towards the needs of the parish, this is surely not the way to go about it.

Let me now try to tackle the main argument brought forward to justify the continuance of such a tradition. The argument is based on the very fact that the auction is itself a traditional aspect of life at Mġarr and is very popular with the local residents. In my opinion, this is a nonsensical argument. The auction was inaugurated in the 1920s when the majority of the Maltese population was uneducated and a good number even illiterate. Surely, the people of Mġarr are today much better educated to realise that mixing religion with commercialism goes directly against the teachings of Jesus Christ in whose name the whole activity is organised.

As far as I know, Christ threw the money changers out of the temple, so how can one justify the participation of his representative in an auction just outside the church? Can you imagine Our Lady approving an auction for the privilege of carrying her statue? I know it all sounds so ridiculous but this auction has been going on for many years and the ecclesiastical authorities should act immediately to stop it.

I have the greatest respect for the Catholic Church and the excellent work it carries out to help those in need and to spread the wonderful message of Christ. As such, I believe that such things as the auction at Mġarr for the privilege of carrying Our Lady’s statue only serve to undeservedly sully the image of the Catholic Church in Malta.

People tend to generalise. They will forget what the Church does for orphans, poor people, the sick, etc. They will forget the sacrifices and utter dedication of the vast majority of the clergy. However, they will remember that, last year, €8,100 were paid for the privilege of carrying the statue of Our Lady of the Assumption at Mġarr and they will, justifiably, be shocked by this. Christ always sought the company of the poor and shunned that of the rich. Yet here we are turning his teachings upside down and offering the privilege of carrying the statue of Our Lady only to those who can pay a sizeable sum of money, excluding those who cannot.

One of the excuses given by those who support the auction is that, at a certain stage of the route, other people are allowed to carry the statue. Such an argument does not make any sense because the fact remains that, for most of the procession, what is being practised is exclusion from carrying the statue due to inadequate financial means. One would be excused thinking this is an article about business but, please remember, we are dealing with an official Church activity here!

There is still enough time this year to eliminate, once and for all, this Mġarr auction associated with the feast of Our Lady of the Assumption. It is a negative tradition that only serves to expose all Maltese to the ridicule of those who visit our shores. Even worse, it exposes the Catholic Church in Malta to criticism it can ill afford at a time when its position in society is in a state of transition.