Gozo Bishop Mario Grech has denounced the rapid increase in construction, insisting that people are “fattening their wallets” by selling the environment.

He made the comments at the opening of an exhibition on the environment in Gozo by photographer Daniel Cilia.

Referring to the collapse of the Azure Window earlier this year, Mgr Grech said that while there were times, such as the destruction of the popular attraction, when nature took its course, most of the destruction of the environment resulted from man’s greed.

“One of the monsters that is ruining the environment is money. To fatten their wallets, people are doing business at the expense of the environment,” the Bishop said, pointing to the construction industry in Gozo as well as in Malta as proof.

Shouldn’t we help those who are looking for a place to live without abusing these people, while also safeguarding the environment?”

While acknowledging that the industry has become one of the main pillars of the economy, Mgr Grech questioned whether the way the sector operates was truly economically viable.

He also shed doubts on whether the industry is “clean and fair”.

“How is it possible that we cannot strike a balance in this area? Shouldn’t we help those who are looking for a place to live without abusing these people, while also safeguarding the environment?”

Mgr Grech insisted that while every person had a right to own private property, society was also duty-bound to safeguard the country’s patrimony for future generations.

Considering what could be done to ensure that this environmental consciousness was instilled in the younger generations, the Bishop called for better education to make children aware of the importance of protecting the environment and ways to do so.