Gozo Bishop Mario Grech is renewing his appeal made last weekend for Gozo’s parishes to offer the money collected on their respective feast days to de “devolved” to the Jesuit Refugee Service.

In a ‘Letter to the People of God’ letter being read out in all Gozitan churches this weekend, Mgr Grech urges, “I know that our people are generous and know how to respond to the needs of others. I am therefore renewing my appeal [made last Sunday on the occasion of the Feast of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Kerċem] so that from the little we have we can share with those who are in need.”

Mgr Grech recalled the words of Pope Francis when witnessing “this continuous tragedy” in the Mediterranean when he described the seas surrounding Malta and Gozo as the “cemetery of the Mediterranean”.

Mgr Grech, in his letter, added, “Among the poor of our times we have so many migrants who for some reason or other leave their country looking for a better future. Frequently but especially in the summer months we witness heart-breaking episodes of people, families and even babies losing their life in the Mediterranean.

“Even if our act is just a drop in an ocean, we would be participating in the work of this charitable organisation run by the Jesuits for the poor of our times.

“In this way, while we celebrate solemn liturgies and rejoice together on the occasion of the feast of our patron saint, we would be ‘crying with those who are crying’ (Rom12:15) and giving a deeper sense to our Eucharistic celebrations and our feasts.”

Just as the letter was released, Malta and Italy were engaged in yet another standoff on the high seas with 450 migrants in the middle.

Italian Transport Minister Danilo Toninelli tweeted that Malta was obliged under maritime law to rescue the migrants since they were in the Maltese search-and-rescue area early on Friday and give the fishing boat a safe harbour.

But Malta retorted that when Rome's maritime rescue coordination centre informed it about the vessel, the boat was already much closer to the tiny Sicilian island of Lampedusa than it was to Maltese shores. The Maltese interior ministry also said that the people on board the vessel announced their intention to proceed to Lampedusa.

Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, who's leading the new populist's government campaign to keep more migrants from reaching Italian shores, was adamant that the boat wouldn't dock in any Italian port.

"This boat cannot, must not arrive," Salvini tweeted on Friday. "We already have given enough, you understand." Salvini was apparently referring to the costs that Italy has incurred in the last few years caring for some 600,000 migrants who were rescued at sea and brought to Italian shores.

At the time of going to print, the matter had still not been resolved.

Mgr Grech, however, is of a far different opinion, as he writes in his letter to his congregations, “One understands that there are no easy solutions for this huge emergency taking place around us. But moved by the Word of God and the example of our Lord Jesus Christ who ‘although he was rich, he became poor for our sakes’ (2 Cor: 8-9).

“I feel that as a believing community we cannot remain silent and indifferent faced with this unfolding tragedy affecting our country and the European Union.