Residents of Mgarr expressed their disappointment at the fact that the village of Mgarr now seems to be split between those supporting the decision for former parish priest Fr Emanual Camileri to be dismissed, and those who do not.
Following the dismissal of the former parish priest, The Malta Independent set out to Mgarr to get the general feel of the public, days ahead of the annual feast.
The Mgarr Feast and Culture Committee, in a strongly worded letter, accused the former parish priest of refusing to meet people, and sowing antagonism among parishioners. The committee even went so far as calling Fr Camilleri a ‘de facto dictator.’ In comments to this newspaper, Fr Camilleri himself said that the archbishop had given in to the pressure by four individuals from the committee, adding that the curia is in a ‘leadership crises.’
In Mgarr, residents expressed they were let down at what this controversy has led to. “We’ve always been such a close knit community, it is sad to see such a divide amongst us”, one man says. “It seems the population of Mgarr is grouped into batches, and they’re not pulling the same rope.”
Most of the individuals approached, however, preferred not to comment on the subject, saying they do not want to take sides. Many did not speak ill of Fr Emanuel Camilleri, however, some did point out that they were in disagreement with him about some issues. Meanwhile, others agreed with the former parish priest that the church was indeed going through some sort of leadership crises, and need to handle internal conflicts as soon as possible. One man argued that the Fr Camilleri should have never been dismissed, and the committee should have never spoken about him in the way they did.
One woman said that perhaps Fr Emanuel was ‘too strict’; adding that she completely disagreed with his decision to ban the Via Sagra progression. “There was no logical reason for the ban, and that made parishioners angry”, she said.
Opposite to the majority, one man argued that it is utterly disgusting that some of the residents want to be in control of village activities, and have no respect for the church, or for other residents.
Asked about the annual feast this year, some still seemed unsure on whether it will still be held or not, however most expressed that it would be a huge disappointment should it not. It seems residents have grown quite found of this annual event.
However, Mario Falzon, in charge of the club organising the decorations for the feast, confirmed that the annual feast will still be held, as per usual. The club was in the dark for the last month about whether it will proceed as usual, however preparations are now up and running. This year, the feast of Santa Maria in Mgarr will be celebrated on Sunday 24 August.