A Maltese man who celebrates mass in a Buġibba hotel for a minor Anglican denomination has insisted he is no false priest. 

Fr Mario Clayton Camilleri is ordained as a member of the Anglican Episcopal Church of Europe, a little-known branch of the Anglican Episcopal Church of Chile. 

The church describes itself as "a small church and a poor church," with a solely male clergy who work for a living. Its website lists 10 clergy members across Europe, with Fr Camilleri its sole priest in Malta. 

Malta's Catholic Church had on Monday issued a statement clarifying that Fr Camilleri was not a Catholic priest and "does celebrate Mass in the Catholic Church." 

Although the statement did not claim that Fr Camilleri was a false priest, it struck a nerve with the Anglican Episcopal Church of Europe, which in a statement said it wanted to "set the facts straight."

"The Holy Eucharist and the Holy Sacraments Revd Fr Mario Clayton Camilleri celebrates are Anglo-Catholic," the statement, which was sent by Fr Camilleri himself on his denomination's behalf, said. 

Fr Camilleri celebrates mass every Saturday at 6.00pm at the Topaz Hotel in Buġibba.