The list of people who rushed to defend Malta’s Christian tradition on the basis of one newspaper report includes such people as Emily Barbaro Sant, Mgr Anton Gauci, and even last Sunday’s Roamer, no less, apart from an Ian Licari who wrote all the way from Toronto, Canada, to claim this was another attempt by the Illuminati to destroy Malta’s Catholic heritage.

It is a matter of amazement that the announcement had been resumed was not made public earlier, if not by MIA itself, then by the source of the original leak to The Times. After all, commentators cannot be expected to check things for themselves!

What is still rather unclear is the official status of the airport chapel. Is it exclusively for Malta’s Catholics or is it, as in most other airports, a non-denominational place for reflection and prayer and shared by the main faiths?

MIA sources said they were following up reports that a group of Muslim travellers who seemed eager to use the place for their own prayers were unceremoniously ushered out some time ago.

One issue which seems to have been brought to the fore regards the practice by some MIA workers who attend Mass while they are on duty and getting paid, many times, double pay.