Santa Marija statue does not get COVID clearance, forcing cancellation of rosary event

The Gozitan Leone band club has hit out at coronavirus restrictions issued by the public health superintendence for the traditional Santa Marija feast in August, after it was refused a permit for a spiritual function for the 15 August which included the display of the Virgin Mary statue out on the Cathedral parvis.

The Leone philharmonic band, of Rabat, requested a permit for a socially distanced event that takes place on the steps of the Cathedral’s piazza, in the Gozo citadel, that is closed to the public and is celebrated by the Gozo bishop Anton Theuma, with the band, the Aurora youth choir, and the Cathedral chapter in attendance. The bishop recites the rosary and blesses the statue of St Mary at the main entrance of the Cathedral.

In a statement, the Leone band club said it “deplored” the refusal by the superintendence to issue the permits, when it had organised an event that would respect the rules of the Health Department, with social distancing between musicians, chorists, and the Cathedral chapter members.

The club claimed it had been specifically refused a permit to have the statute of the Virgin Mary displayed at the door of the Cathedral, without explaining why, while the rest of the performers were cleared for the event. “Is the statue going to, in some way, contribute to the spread of the virus?” the club said in its statement.

“This event was already allowed back in 2020, having been broadcast on television for the benefit of the public. Public access was closed off by security officers at all points of entry to the Citadel. So the position taken by the health authorities is totally absurd and senseless.”

The club however said that the health authorities had insisted it was only applying equal measures for all band clubs.

“The health authorities have to give devotional activities their rightful space, and not deny us a constitutional right to celebrate feasts and our religious faith. There is no logic, maturity or any sense in prohibiting us from taking out the statue, such that it has forced the cancellation of an event that would have been in strict conformity with COVID rules.”