Mġarr parishioners yesterday defied the orders of the Curia and their new parish priest to go ahead with a procession that included five statues and countless actors.

According to a ruling handed down by the Curia on March 28, the procession could only include the statue of Christ the Redeemer.

A spokesman for the Curia confirmed that it had issued instructions that the Way of the Cross in Mġarr should be held with the statue of Christ the Redeemer and “without any other elements which were included without approval. Reason being that the Way of the Cross is intended to be a penitential pilgrimage for those who attend”. The ruling was brought to the attention of the Mġarr community by their new parish priest, Manuel Camilleri.

Some 450 people from Mġarr have been organising the procession, using the various statues and involving actors, for about five years and it was never a problem before yesterday. Their procession is always held on the Tuesday during Holy Week.

We were determined to do it anyway

One of the participants, who did not want to be named, said: “We had been preparing for this for about a year. Actors prepared their costumes and spent lots of time and effort organising the procession. Then, just two weeks before, we were told it could not go ahead… So we were determined to do it anyway.”

Yesterday, the congregation met for the 5.30pm Mass with the plan to hold the procession – despite the Curia’s ruling.

One man said that, during the Mass, the parish priest insisted that the procession should only involve Christ the Redeemer. “When he realised what was happening, and that we were going to go ahead, he threatened to close the door of the church and lock out the statues,” he said.

When contacted Fr Camilleri did not wish to comment, adding that the Curia would answer questions. He however confirmed that “the statues went out without the parish priest” and that the Curia had been defied. It would now address the issue, he added.