Gozo Bishop Anton Teuma warned against judging people or situations without knowing the facts, saying people should first understand what has happened before reaching conclusions.

His comments came during a homily on Saturday, days after he came under criticism over the Gozo Diocese's decision not to take action against a priest who was said to have influenced a family not to report an alleged abuse case to the authorities.

Teuma did not refer directly to that case or the criticism surrounding it during the homily, which was delivered during the Feast of the Martyrdom of St John the Baptist at the Xewkija parish church.

However, towards the end of his homily, he repeatedly stressed the importance of knowing the facts before passing judgement.

"It is very easy for each and every one of us to judge a fact, an event, even something that happens to us," Teuma said.

He gave the example of people passing judgement within families, including on a woman who had separated from her husband without knowing the circumstances behind the separation.

"A poor woman may have had to separate, she could not remain with her husband because perhaps he was even beating her. And I judge her badly. I cannot judge her badly; I do not know the facts," Teuma said.

He also referred to parents being judged because of their children's behaviour.

"Perhaps a boy turned out to be a little troublesome, and I am going to judge his mother and father. I do not know the facts," he said.

"I cannot simply immediately proceed with my own agenda, as Herodias did with hers; this woman who wanted to kill John and, one way or another, got her way. This is not the truth. This is not respect for the truth."

Teuma said people should instead look carefully at what is happening and seek to understand it properly before reaching a judgement.

"God teaches us another way: we must look carefully at what is happening, properly understand what is happening, and then judge through his eyes, beyond our own eyes," he said.

"Our eyes alone are not enough. Our eyes alone very often make a judgement which suits me, which suits us."

Earlier in the homily, Teuma reflected on the Gospel account of the martyrdom of St John the Baptist, saying each of the people involved viewed events through their own version of the truth.

He said Herod viewed events from the position of his kingdom, authority and ability to do what he wanted, while Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, saw matters from her own perspective because she wanted to leave her husband and pursue a relationship with Herod, whom Teuma described as considerably more powerful.

Salome, meanwhile, viewed events in terms of what she could gain, Teuma said, seeking to assert herself before her mother, Herod and the guests in front of whom she danced.

The guests themselves viewed events through their own lens, seeking entertainment and the benefits of associating with powerful people, he said.

John the Baptist, however, also had his own "truth": his desire to carry out God's will.

Teuma said John looked at the reality before him "through the eyes of God".

When Herodias, the wife of Philip, went to be with his brother Herod Antipas, John compared what had happened with what God wanted and spoke out.

"There is something here which does not correspond, which is not good, which is not right," Teuma said of John's position.

He said John respectfully told Herod: "It is not right for you to be with your brother's wife. God does not want this."

According to Teuma, John therefore placed the concept of truth on a much higher level, showing that not all laws are made by people.

"There are laws which human beings cannot touch," he said.

Herod may have been powerful, Teuma said, but there was a law beyond what even he could do.

"Every person in authority has some kind of power, but there is a law which goes beyond, which is much higher than what perhaps I can do as bishop, or what a minister can do, or the Prime Minister, or whoever it may be," he said.

"There is a law which goes beyond: it is the law of God."

Turning to Herodias, Teuma said her "truth" was that she wanted to achieve her objective at all costs. He said she was able to convince Herod to imprison John and hated him so much that she eventually caused his death.

Herod, meanwhile, was someone who sought to please everyone, Teuma said.

"He tried to please the woman who was with him, the people, and John. Because he did not want to harm John. Herod was a person who did not want to fight with anyone."

Teuma said some people today could similarly adopt such an approach, just as others could pursue their objectives at all costs as Herodias had done.

Salome's "truth", he said, was her desire to please those around her, including her mother, Herod and his guests.

John the Baptist, by contrast, was the "guarantee of truth", Teuma said, because he read the facts properly, reflected on what was happening and considered events in light of the word of God.

At the beginning of his homily, Teuma also reflected on Herod's reaction upon hearing about Jesus, when he believed John the Baptist had risen from the dead.

"The dead whom we kill do not die; they remain alive," Teuma said. "The dead whom we 'kill', those whom we harm, remain alive, they reappear."

Teuma said Herod had effectively compared John the Baptist with Jesus, describing that as a great honour for John because it meant that he resembled Christ.