All aboard the gravy train: churches in Labour strongholds get face lifts

In the space of four weeks, the government issued at least nine separate announcements about works on churches, parish centres and religious heritage sites, most of them clustered in Labour’s electoral strongholds.

From Fgura to Żurrieq, Safi, Qrendi, Tarxien and Cottonera, ministers lined up for photo opportunities announcing new marble floors, air conditioning, restored paintings, repaired roofs, upgraded parish façades, and new lighting systems for church buildings.

The pattern started on 23 April, when Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri announced a “beautification and modernisation” project at the Fgura parish church, including a marble floor and a modern air-conditioning system. Fgura sits in Malta’s second district, one of the areas where Labour candidates dominate the ballot sheet.

Two days later, Culture Minister Owen Bonnici announced restoration works on the Safi parish church. A day after that, he was in Żurrieq announcing the completion of €60,000 in restoration works on ceiling paintings inside Żurrieq’s parish church, co-financed by funds from the Malta Arts Council.

Bonnici then returned to the same district on 15 May for another announcement – this time, a restoration agreement for the Qrendi parish church.

Żurrieq was mentioned again on 20 May, when Bonnici announced restoration works on the Church of Santa Marija ta’ Bubaqra.

On the same day, the Public Works Minister, Omar Farrugia, issued another statement listing works carried out with the Archdiocese: the Żurrieq parish centre, waterproofing works on the churches of Qrendi and Birżebbuġa, and works on the main doors of the churches of Mqabba and Dingli.

Tarxien was next. Transport Minister Chris Bonett announced the completion of works on the locality’s main square and, in the same release, said an agreement had been signed between Public Works and the Archdiocese for a modern lighting system on the parish church’s facade, dome and side elevations.

On 13 May, Parliamentary Secretary Alison Zerafa Civelli and Kottonera Foundation chairman and former minister Joe Mizzi visited ecclesiastical restoration projects in Bormla, with a grand total of over €100,000 spent on a titular painting in St Teresa church and works at the Immaculate Conception church. Both were 75% financed through the Kottonera Foundation.

On 7 May, the government announced a €5 million EU-funded investment in the St John’s Co-Cathedral museum project.

The project, first announced in 2013 and originally expected by 2018, has now been pushed all the way back to 2028, with costs estimated at around €25 million, or €15 million over its original budget.

While there is nothing particularly new about these kinds of strategically-timed announcements, in this case, it is also symptomatic of a broader entanglement between the Curia’s material interests and the government’s need to capture voter attention.

One key example of this entanglement is the joint Foundation for Affordable Housing, launched by Prime Minister Robert Abela and Archbishop Charles Scicluna. The Foundation is facing scrutiny over possible EU state aid breaches after public land was earmarked for transfer to private developers at discounted prices.