A 67-year-old woman from Gżira who goes to Mass regularly was shocked to be greeted by a stream of invective from a priest clearly upset with the referendum result.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, said that at about 9.30 a.m. on Monday she was passing by the church dedicated to the Redeemer in Gżira – which is not always open – and, realising Mass was being said, she stepped inside. Then, during the homily, the priest, whose name she did not know, began ranting at the congregation accusing them of not being “true Catholics but Christians only in name”.

The priest, she recalled, referred to the referendum and said he would rather that those who were not real Catholics did not attend Mass at all, adding a small congregation would be better than a large one of “double-faced people”.

The woman said she felt insulted to the extent she could not bear to stay for the entire Mass and walked out.

“The priest should not vent his feelings on people who were at Mass because being there meant they were believers... I felt as though he was lashing us with his tongue... I was insulted... It was like going back to the 1960s. I don’t want to have to go through such behaviour again.” She admitted she had voted for divorce because she felt the issue had nothing to do with the Church. “I live alone and will not get married or divorced. I didn’t vote yes for myself. I voted for those who need it,” she said.

When contacted to establish who the priest celebrating this Mass was, the Gżira parish priest referred The Times to the woman who helps run the church of the Redeemer. She said the priest was not part of the parish and had been invited for a one-off Mass. When asked for his name she said she did not know it.

When the incident was referred to the Curia, a spokesman assured this was “definitely” not the approach Archbishop Paul Cremona had taken.

“His Grace has already addressed priests taking part in the in-service course for priests... starting on Monday,” the spokesman said, referring to the last reconciliatory note issued by the bishops late on Saturday night.

He added: “In that statement, the bishops insist everyone should be approached with charity and respect. In this light, there is no need for further statements.”

The Curia will not be investigating the case.