A correspondent in a local newspaper ascribed "two miracles" to a church in Rabat, which happened to be empty when a part of its roof collapsed during the night. This was, in fact, nothing more than a matter of chance. He seemed to forget the many occasions when devotees were crushed to death in church while they worshipped God.

Only recently, on the feast of the Assumption in Madeira, 13 people were killed and 49 were injured when a giant oak tree fell on them during Mass while they were singing a hymn to the Virgin Mary.

In 2016 in Nigeria, 160 people were killed when a church roof collapsed on them while they were worshipping God.

The ultimate proof of the futility of faith took place in Portugal in 1755 when a catastrophic earthquake devastated Lisbon. Within 10 minutes, 23,000 buildings were destroyed, and 60,000 people perished. The earthquake began at 9.30am on All Saints' Day, when nearly all pious citizens were attending Mass. Neither God nor the saints saved the 30 churches that were destroyed and the thousands of worshippers who perished.

John Guillaumier

St Julian's