The Gozitan priest who sparked controversy when he was paraded around his new parish in a sports car being pulled by young children has insisted his wacky display was not an issue for him.

Fr John Sultana, 47, raised eyebrows when amateur footage was uploaded showing him standing up in a convertible Porsche Boxster.

To make matters worse the car was being pulled through of the streets of his Żebbuġ parish by about 50 young school children as onlookers cheered and waved him along.

"I'm sorry but to me this simply isn't an issue and certain comments being made are just not right," he told Times of Malta when contacted on Tuesday morning.

He declined to comment on the matter any further, saying that "whichever way you comment, it is always taken out of context".

The report of the event was shared across social media on Monday night with many taking a dig at the new parish priest's flamboyant transport choice.

Labour MEP Marlene Mizzi expressed her views on the matter in a harshly worded Facebook post.

One Facebook user wrote: “This is disturbing! Why on earth is this joker in a Porsche instead of humbly devoting himself to the community?”

Fr Sultana was appointed Archpriest of Żebbuġ by Gozo bishop Mario Grech after the resignation of Fr Reuben Micallef.

Fr Sultana, who was born in Xagħra Gozo, was ordained priest in June 1996 and started his pastoral work at the Santa Lucia parish in Rome and studied in the Salesian Pontifical University.

Since 1998, he took care of the pastoral needs of the community at the Sant’Anton Abbati church in Xagħra, was later appointed director of the Gozo diocese press and appointed Canon of the Marija Bambina Collegiate at Xagħra in 2000.

He is currently a lecturer at the Minor Seminary in Gozo.