The front page story entitled ‘Priests ‘confused’ over bishops’ new guidelines’, as well as the interview with ‘Fr Joe’ (The Sunday Times of Malta, January 29) left me with a deep sense of sadness.

However, it also confirmed my suspicion that many of my colleagues have totally distorted the meaning both of Pope Francis’ exhortation Amoris Laetitia as well as the recent letter to priests from our bishops.

I was brought up in the priesthood in a pre-Vatican II formation but thank God I fully followed Vati­can II’s great gift to the Church through Pope John XXIII, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

I also went through the sour experience of the politico-Church dispute at the same time in the 1960s. But we seem to have learnt nothing and remained in the Council of Trent.

Thanks to all this, and with due respect, I did not need any instructions from the bishops to deal with any pastoral issue that came before me. Furthermore, if I am not mistaken, neither the Pope’s Amoris Laetitia nor the bishops’ letter asked any priest to place on his conscience a request by divorced or separated people with a partner to receive Holy Communion.

It is the supreme conscience of the faithful, helped and led by priests, to take their own decisions. Most of all, there has never been a blanket and straightforward order of what to do or not to do but to discern and follow each particular case.

This what I did in the 1960s and this is what I have always been doing since Vatican II, which opened my mind and heart to be compassionate to the spiritual needs of those I am called to serve.