Controversial priest Fr Mark Montebello has been banned for six months from speaking on Church issues, morals, ethics and faith, The Malta Independent can confirm.

Contacted for his comments, Fr Mark confirmed that he received a letter dated 4 May, signed by Archbishop Joseph Mercieca, in which he was banned for a six-month period in relation to the issues already mentioned. However, he confirmed that he would continue appearing in public to talk on other issues not connected with the ban.

Fr Mark had been invited as a guest on several television and radio programmes in the aftermath of His Holiness Pope John Paul II’s death and the subsequent election of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. He described the election of the latter as “a bad joke” and has pronounced himself as a strong liberal on several social issues.

This paper also contacted the Archbishop’s Curia for its comments on this issue. Curia PRO Charles Buttigieg said that it was standard practice for the Archbishop to retain confidentiality on his meetings with members of the clergy and, as such, no official comment could be given on this decision.

Malta Gay Rights Movement PRO Sandro Mangion immediately expressed solidarity with Fr Mark Montebello in an email circulated to the press. He said that the group would be the first to show solidarity with a person who was ready to lend a voice to those who are shunned and emarginated by society, adding that liberty of expression was one of the most important human rights in a democratic society.