Scheduling of churches

I was intrigued by the news item Mepa Board Confirms Scheduling Of Parish Churches (December 19), reporting that the Mepa board confirmed a decision it had taken in August whereby 50 parish churches throughout Malta and Gozo were scheduled as grade one buildings.

In terms of the scheduling, only restorative works will be allowed to take place on both the internal and external of the building and that even such works can only be carried out with Mepa’s approval and monitoring. The Curia had sought a reconsideration and further discussion, arguing that scheduling should be based on the individual characteristics of each church.

What struck me most in this news item, however, was a comment made by an architect representing the Curia in this issue. While stating that the Church was in favour of the preservation and restoration of churches, this architect explained that these churches were “places of worship, not monuments”. This comment surprised and worried me because, in my opinion, churches are both places of worship and monuments, and the two are not mutually exclusive.

I do not know to what extent this architect’s view represents the official opinion of the Church. If it does, this ought to be justification enough for the scheduling of our churches. If the view expressed reflects only the personal opinion of this particular architect, no wonder people have been unimpressed with the way cellular apparatus has been installed on a number of our churches.