Last Saturday’s incident at the Ferries in Sliema has rightly hit a chord with Times of Malta readers. It seems that the unfortunate victim was arraigned because she disturbed a religious procession.

I was at the Ferries when two band clubs had their musicians march and play each other with a statue of Our Lady following them amid parked cars, people milling about in summer attire and open-air cafes full of customers. The statue was being led to a decorated pedestal in the middle of the small park, which was also occupied by a concession.

The evening was wound up with an excellent fireworks display against pop music relayed via speakers at a high volume.

Does this legally qualify for a religious service? No hint of any spiritual devotion in this ritual. It was merely a festive outdoor custom which festa organisers all over Malta do with some minor statue of their patron saint prior to the big day.

It is a pity that the festa in this case caused a negative promotion for Malta at the peak of the tourist season. Better interpretation of the law – and common sense – was called for by both the police and also the justice system.

In colonial times, Church activities were sacrosanct: they were traditionally protected to keep the ‘natives’ happy with ‘safe’ public activities while the foreign rulers defended their commercial and military sea strategies and routes.

If certain laws are outdated, one should address them immediately. Fifty years after Malta’s independence one would have thought we had moved forward.

Respect towards local traditions, not necessarily religious, did not gain points after this incident.