Archbishop Paul Cremona and Gozo Bishop Mario Grech in a joint statement today again condemned the actions of some people during the Nadur Carnival and appealed to the authorities to enforce the law.

It was the second time that Mgr Grech had condemned the goings on at Nadur. In a statement last week Mgr Grech complained that some people had dressed up as the Risen Christ while others had imitated Christ surrounded by the Apostles in an effort to make people laugh.

The bishops said it was good that society defended the rights of minorities who had different beliefs than the majority of the people. But no one had a right to ridicule the beliefs of others as was done in Nadur.

The bishops said they were appealing to the authorities to not only to defend the rights of the minority, but also the majority of the people. This, they said, applied not only to the religious beliefs of most of the people of Malta and Gozo, but also to public decency.

The bishops condemned what had taken place and said those involved needed to recognise and respect the people's religious and civil rights. They pointed out that what had taken place broke the law, which safeguarded values for the common good.

"These values, upheld by the Constitution and the laws, need to be protected," the bishops said.

"When no action is taken, one would not be neutral, but would be approving what would have taken place. We are sure that was not the case."

They augured that what had happened would not be allowed to recur.