A marble plaque affixed onto the Qala parish church commemorating the baptism of Gozitan Cardinal Mario Grech – and which was blessed by Grech himself – does not have the required permits to be in place.

The Shift News reported on Monday that neither the Planning Authority nor the Malta Council for Culture and the Arts gave the go ahead for the alteration to the Grade 1 scheduled building that is the parish church.

A Planning Authority spokesperson told the news outlet that the plaque, which was described as being less than a metre, did not require a Development Notification Order, but did say that the PA is now “in contact with the Qala parish administration to confirm that the criteria listed in Class 4 of the DNO are being followed.”

The plaque was unveiled by Grech himself earlier this month, and commemorates his baptism at the Qala parish church on 21 February 1957.

Many turned to the social media to criticise the Cardinal, some describing the idea as exposing his “pompousness” while others remarked that it is quite unusual that plaques celebrate a baptism.

Mario Grech served as Gozo Bishop between 2005 and 2020, when he became a cardinal.