‘Be courageous and stand up to the ‘emperor’, Gozo Bishop warns

The Head of the Gozo Church, Bishop Anton Teuma, used one of Gozo’s most significant feasts, Victoria’s St George’s, to deliver a powerful message urging citizens to take a stand and defend their principles.

He referred to St George the Martyr, who, despite being part of the emperor’s inner circle, stood up to defend Christians from persecution.

“We cannot bow to pressures and ideas which we don’t believe in just to please those who are in power and look good,” Bishop Teuma said.

“Be like St George and stand up to the ’emperor’. Have courage and follow what you believe in and not what you are told,” he added during his homily at St George’s Basilica in the presence of a packed church, including many Gozitan politicians.

He referred to the ongoing controversial debate about abortion and euthanasia, but also criticised the prevailing culture of selfishness in Maltese society, which often idolizes money as the ultimate achievement in life, calling it fundamentally misguided.

He insisted that while anyone can join any “inner circle” they wish, one should not abandon their beliefs to follow their master’s agenda.

The Bishop reiterated his commitment to combating the culture of receiving payment while neglecting work, a phenomenon prevalent among public workers in Gozo. He stated that employees should take pride in serving a purpose and helping others.

This was not the first time Gozo’s senior clergyman has made strong statements about ongoing abuse.

Last year, Bishop Teuma used a homily in Għajnsielem to criticise the Gozitan culture of employing hundreds of individuals on the state payroll who rarely show up for work.

Teuma highlighted this alarming situation by telling the congregation: “Those who are paid without attending work or who only spend a few minutes there before leaving to attend to personal matters are taking something that is not theirs and providing their families with a poor example.”

He emphasised that remuneration should be tied to productive work, asserting that any other arrangement is essentially theft.

Recently, Teuma distinguished himself among the members of Malta’s Episcopal Conference (Maltese bishops) by also opposing the Church’s bank, APS, in its attempt to purchase HSBC.

The commercial move had the support of Archbishop Charles Scicluna but faced significant resistance from the Diocese of Gozo.

Ultimately, the attempt failed when APS announced its decision to withdraw the bid.