The Gozo bishop has called out people who get paid for no-show jobs, saying they are deceiving their fellow citizens and imparting rotten values to their children.

In a fiery homily during Mass on the feast of Our Lady of Loreto at Għajnsielem, on Sunday, Bishop Anton Teuma warned that some people in Gozo are taking salaries for jobs they only show up briefly for.

“There are workers in Gozo who are paid for work they don’t do. They go to work for a few minutes – or, not to exaggerate, for a few hours – and then leave to go do another job,” he said.

“It is deceptive, it is against God’s will, and parents who behave like this are imparting these vices to their children. We are happy to have the money coming in without realising we are rotting our children’s minds.”

Teuma did not elaborate on what jobs he was referring to but it is understood he was addressing rumours that people are accepting government no-show jobs for which they get paid without having to do any work.

It is unclear how far the alleged practice stretches but data published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) last month revealed that one in three Gozitans work with the government. The study found 35 per cent of full-time workers in Gozo hold a government job, significantly higher than the 20 per cent of Maltese full-time workers in the public sector.

On Sunday, Teuma said real workers should strive to serve their fellow citizens, stick up for them and participate in protecting and enhancing God’s creations. The practice of pocketing a salary for work that is not done demolishes one of the foundation walls of a strong family and society.

He was taking a leaf out of the book of a legend that holds that the walls of the Virgin Mary’s house in Nazareth were transported by angels to Loreto – a town in Italy – in the 13th century before the Ottomans could destroy them.

“I have no right to get paid if, instead of serving you, I seek to serve my interests off your back. I have no right to get paid for anything that I acquired deceitfully,” he said.

“And don’t tell me that it is what the people above you do. You cannot justify doing the wrong thing by saying the people above you do it as well.”

Teuma also hit out at people who are obsessed with making money, saying it is a culture that brought divisions throughout entire families and is causing young children to suffer from inadequate parenting.

He said many children are not being given the love they need for healthy growth and some parents “park” their children in sports, arts and other educational institutions as soon as they are old enough without allowing themselves enough time to be with them.