When one thinks of Halloween, one immediately thinks of stocking up with a few sweets and bits and pieces to give to the youngsters who knock on doors for a bit of fun.

One also might think of fancy dress parties, which are also great fun and a good tonic to refresh us and offer some levity in this rat race world we now live in. One might also think of parents spending time with their children to carve out a pumpkin for the occasion – you know, some quality time.

But no, not according to the Balzan Parish. A flyer distributed by this parish to the households of Balzan, Lija and Attard stated the following: “The church is warning parents about the Halloween feast which poses huge risks as it is a dangerous celebration of fear and the macabre. Halloween promotes death and encourages children and young people to take part in witchcraft, undermining the sacred. The feast is gaining popularity and is being celebrated in schools, youth centres, entertainment venues and work places. Halloween emphasises violence. It exposes people to sadism, sexual violence, Satanism, torture, mutilation and strange death. It exposes vulnerable children to fear which could lead them to suffer from sleep walking and emotional harm. Halloween pushes people to practise occult practices. Other things that attract children to the occult are heavy metal music, fantasy games, sadistic pornography and literature about the occult and Satan. Be careful and guide children, but also adults, towards the right track so that they will always think positively and choose Jesus Christ above everything.”

We quote it in its entirety, because no amount of comment from our end could possibly do justice to the banality of its contents. This newspaper understands that the note was not issued by the Church, but nevertheless, it was distributed by one of its members, a parish priest nonetheless.

One honestly has to wonder why some of the clergy are so intent on shooting the Roman Catholic Church in the foot. One honestly does wonder whether they can expect such a note to be treated with anything short of astonishment and derision.

Halloween is not a celebration of the occult, of dark sex, of violence, of sadism, torture and mutilation. It is, wait for it; it might knock you off your seat… just a bit of fun. Older people enjoy it because it allows them to put on a mask and have a good night out, laughing at other people’s costumes. Kids love it because they spend time with their parents making a costume and perhaps even a Jacko Lantern and they get a few sweets and treats… does it remind you of Carnival at all? As always, this boils down to fundamentalist elements within an organisation that cannot see sense, or have any form of foresight about their actions. What could possibly be wrong with kids having fun, doing something inane, in a costume, with their peers and parents. Are they going to turn into devil worshippers, or engage in sexual violence as the note itself implies? No, what they are going to do is have a good laugh, giggle a lot as adults pretend to be frightened of them and then give them some sweets. Then they go to bed, wake up in the morning and go back to school. Let them have some fun. This is not only going overboard, it’s ludicrous.