The statue of St Paul will be taken out of the church in St Paul Street, Valletta on Thursday evening in what the parish has described as a seated event.

Thursday is the feast of St Paul's Shipwreck, a public holiday. 

The feast organisers complained earlier this month that they had not been granted the go-ahead by the health authorities to hold the procession, since that qualified as a stand-up event, not allowed by COVID-19 protocols.

Instead, the statue will now be simply taken out of the Church at 6.30pm, accompanied by the La Valette band.  The parish and the Għaqda tal-Pawlini said this will be a seated event in line with health protocols.  People need to produce a vaccination certificate and wear masks. They will be seated on a first come, first served basis in two distinct 'bubbles' with entrance from St John Street.

They thanked Archbishop Charles Scicluna and the authroities for the agreement reached. 

Opposition leader Bernard Grech welcomed the decision, saying in a Facebook post that common sense had prevailed. This, he said, was a moment of satisfaction for the organisers.