A Gozitan priest took action on Sunday to prevent the church parvis being used by campaigners collecting signatures for a petition against in-vitro fertilisation.

It happened at the Ta’ Pinu sanctuary in Għarb, where rector Fr Gerard Buhagiar told the congregation the church had nothing to do with anti-IVF petitioners outside.

Contacted yesterday, Fr Buhagiar said the people collecting signatures were not authorised to do so by the Church and had no link to it.

He did not know who the people were and they had not informed him of their actions. “We cannot confuse people in this way on these things. The Church explained its views in the pastoral letter issued by the bishops and that’s it.”

It seems that after Fr Buhagiar spoke to the congregation, some people who had signed the petition on their way in rushed out to withdraw their signature. But by that time the campaigners had already left.

Fr Buhagiar said people had a right to do what they wanted but “should not use” the Church to reach their goals. They were on Church property, he pointed out.

“The Church has made its stand clear on IVF and anyone can make their choice. Thank God we are living in a free country,” Fr Buhagiar said.

In a pastoral letter issued on the eve of the publication of a Bill on IVF last month, Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech reiterated the Church’s stand against IVF.

They said IVF was immoral because procreation was achieved by substituting the conjugal act with artificial means that involved third parties.

The letter also said IVF did not respect the dignity of the embryo and put it in a vulnerable position.

This was criticised by at least two leading priests – theologian Fr René Camilleri and media expert Fr Joe Borg – for what they described as the “insensitive” language used.

ksansone@timesofmalta.com