I refer to what Joe Abela Fitzpatrick had to say about my letter of 3 August.

What I said in my letter were only facts stated by well-respected dignitaries of our Roman Catholic Church. Mgr Zanic proclaimed that the Virgin Mary did not make these apparitions

Way back in 1990 a committee of 19 bishops was set up and they concluded that there is absolutely no proof that Marian visions have occurred in Medjugorje.

Sure, thousands of devotees will go there and will continue to go. Just as I’m more than sure that you will find priests everywhere there.

What he said about institutions, loss of property and the Bosnia-Herzegovina war does not make any sense to me because if we say that the Virgin Mary is appearing there because of this, then why not in Ethiopia, and all other countries where people are dying every day of starvation or are victims of wars.

I read his letter more than once, and I’m not convinced by what he said. You can see all the fuss that is happening there; many people visit, some out of curiosity and others because they believe what their priest tells them.

I think it is a great opportunity to tell you this true story, which happened in one of our churches, about a healer. I was amazed how the blind the faithful can be in believing what they saw.

I was standing near a man who was wearing thick spectacles (I wonder if he wore them for this occasion). The healer began by saying that there was a man in the congregation who had poor vision, and right away this man began shouting, “it’s a miracle, I’m seeing well”. The people began to clap and he was rushed to the altar. But I thought to myself, now that he is seeing well, how come he is still wearing his glasses.

After the show was over, I personally went and talked this matter over with one of this healer’s bodyguards, who told me, “Let these people go home with more faith in their hearts.” And this is what is happening in Medjugorje, in Malta, and in all other countries that claim to have these visions.

As for our local healers who claim to heal by praying and touching in just a few minutes, and believe me they heal anything; that’s what they do in these healing sessions according to our local media.

I suggest to our Minister of Health that these healers solve his problem with the waiting lists at Mater Dei. Then we can say that Mater Dei is a state-of-the-art hospital with no waiting lists.

Joseph Gaffarena

SANTA LUCIJA