[WATCH] Government won't interfere with religion, Chris Fearne assures

Chris Fearne on religious symbols

Deputy Prime Minister Chris Fearne has told MaltaToday that religion should not be messed with by politicians and that government would not interfere with the private devotions of individuals.

He implied that the circular issued to health centres on Saturday calling for the removal of religious symbols from the same centres referred to private religious symbols such as holy pictures that civil servants kept in their workspace. Fearne revoked the circular on Sunday, claiming he had not been aware of it.

The official circular revealed by NET News on Sunday did not make reference to crucifixes displayed in public.

Paola health centre on Sunday

On Monday, Fearne told members of the media that he asked the CEO of primary health care, Roseanne Camilleri, to investigate and to take disciplinary action if necessary and insisted that he was not informed of the decision to publish and disseminate the controversial circular.

Fearne took to Twitter on Sunday saying that he does not agree with the circular and said he immediately revoked it.

“We did not interfere in what a private individual should believe in,” he said. “What an individual feels when it comes to religion is a personal matter.”

When asked about the possibility of allowing the religious symbols of other religions in light of multicultural Malta, Fearne insisted with MaltaToday that the government would not have a say in this.

Inside the Paola health centre

Archbishop Charles Scicluna had said last year on a radio programme that he had no qualms with the removal of Roman Catholicism as the official state religion from the constitution.

“I agree with the archbishop but church issues should be left to the church. State issues should be left in the hands of the state. Private devotion should be entirely the choice of the individual,” he said.

Fearne took questions from the media after presiding over the signing of a collective agreement between the government and the Union Haddiema Maghqudin over work conditions for medical physicists.

Scenes at the Paola health centre on Sunday evening showed lit-up crosses on the building's facade for the approaching celebration of Good Friday. A statue of Our Lady of Sorrows adorned with flowers and candles is also visible inside the health centre.