Louise Vella, in her correspondence The Children In The Curia’s Courtyard (May 4) declared that she felt intrigued when she saw a photo of a group of boys playing passju in the Curia’s courtyard (April 29).

According to her, the photo brought her back bad memories of a couple of meetings she had with former Archbishop Joseph Mercieca some 11 years ago, when she was asked to testify to the Curia’s Response Team.

I am sorry for the effect the photo left on Ms Vella as normally a picture of children playing gives one the feeling of happiness. However, by and large, this depends on one’s character, mood and life circumstances, and whether one has some form of hidden agenda.

I am not in any way belittling any alleged abuse immaterial if it has been committed by a priest, religious, father, uncle, grandfather.

Even just one case is more than enough and is to be unconditionally condemned. Ms Vella can rest assured that any case will be competently dealt with without fail. Is Ms Vella actually trying to implicate any possible danger for those particular children? Are we to start considering priests and religious as being some kind of monsters? Does she want us to believe that our children in Church schools and catechism classes are in some sort of danger? Are we being led to believe that this is the kind of education our children are getting from some teachers at school?

Education Department, please note.

Why not be honest and bring to mind what the Church has done throughout the ages? The Church was always in the forefront when it came to education of mind and soul.

Just to give a few examples: schools for children – kindergarten, primary, secondary and post secondary, building apartments for engaged couples and families, setting up institutions for children coming from broken families or abandoned by their parents, the Cana Movement, hospitals, care of children and adults with special needs thus alleviating pressure from their parents, homes for the elderly, recreational youth centres, shelter for battered women and problematic youths, homes for refugees, Caritas which offers help and rehabilitation for drug addicts, financial and moral support for widows, separated and childless couples etc.

Also deserving a mention is the large number of lay people who dedicate their free time teaching catechism to our children and preparing them for their First Holy Communion, Confirmation and, yes, to be future good Christians. These generous and kind-hearted people are not on the pay role of the parish. The list is never ending.

And what about the priests and religious – men and women, who dedicate their whole lives to be of service to the people in their community?

One must not forget to mention either, the priests and religious – men and women – who unselfishly leave their country of origin to dedicate their whole life to the poor in far away countries where they sometimes, even risk their lives.

Libya comes to my mind at the time of writing. Priests and religious working in Libya, although offered a return home, decided to remain there and help those in need even in this time of trouble. This is the Church – a loving mother who incessantly looks after us and is ready to forgive and forget.

I am sure that if Ms Vella, instead of looking suspiciously at everything which concerns the Church and its people, should be honest enough to start having a positive outlook and be grateful for what the Church has done in the past for her, for her family and for all of us, and what it is presently doing and will continue to do, life for her and her like will be deprived of unnecessary intrigues.

By my contribution, I don’t want to give any impression as being a spokeswoman for the Curia or for the clergy. I am just proud to have been born and bred as a Catholic and grateful to God for the service I receive when I need it, and have myself given in the past and continue to give if and whenever asked.