The Archbishop will be heading a consultation process within the Church to draw up a clear policy to protect agricultural land.

Mgr Charles Scicluna will be meeting provincials, superiors of religious orders and consultative councils within the archdiocese to formulate a policy to show the Church is fully committed to the preservation of natural heritage, a spokesman for the Curia told The Sunday Times of Malta. The policy will be aimed at agricultural land, both within and outside of zones designated for development.

The Curia was asked for a reaction after Labour MP Marlene Farrugia appealed to the Archbishop to ensure the Church files no building applications in outside development zone areas under his watch.

In a recent interview, Joseph Muscat mentioned the fact that two Church schools are earmarked to be built on 80,000 square metres of arable land in Għaxaq. The Prime Minister was reacting after Mgr Scicluna attacked the government’s decision to allocate pristine land in the south for the new American university.

But the Church stood its ground yesterday and said that the school project in Għaxaq will be offering free education to hundreds of Maltese children.

“Thus, any comparison with any commercial projects aimed mostly at the service of hefty-fee paying foreigners is totally mistaken,” a Curia spokesman said.

In 2006, the South Malta Local Plan designated the land in question as an area for the development of schools. Still, the application process has been going on for eight years, to ascertain that there will be “the least possible environmental impact”.