Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1439469
3 LETTERS & EDITORIAL maltatoday | SUNDAY • 26 DECEMBER 2021 Mikiel Galea Letters & Clarifications Apparitions a testament of faith APPARITIONS are found in Scripture and have been recorded among Chris- tians and other faith traditions through- out history. But that may be another fairy tale for J. Guillaumier (Letters, 19 December). Besides, mystical fascinating encoun- ters with departed latter-day 19th and 20th century saints like Padre Pio, Ther- ese of Lisieux, or Don Bosco are surely not an unholy hoax but positive proof of life after death, not to mention saints who saw hell and recounted their expe- riences. I invite J. Guillaumier to accept the gift of salvation which is within our reach. The Creator loves us so much and so intensely desires our companionship that He gave the life of His only Son that we might spend eternity with Him. Indeed, God has favoured the saints with marvellous powers over nature, including apparitions, testifying to a blissful afterlife, His own almighty pow- er, and last but not least, the truth of the Catholic Church. John Azzopardi Zabbar BOV €2.6 million fine BANK of Valletta has had a chequered history in misguided investments: the La Valette multi-manager property fund, the Swedish Falcon Funds, Torre Annunziata Deiulemar funds... you name it. It has always been the shareholders who had to bear the brunt of these cock- ups. The directors never gave up their emoluments to share the burden. Now BOV has been fined €2.6 million after failing to properly identify thou- sands of corporate customers. It is now time for those responsible to pay for their ineptitude. This fine should be paid by the Chair- men and directors under whose watch these failings happened. Arnold Cassola Swieqi Presidents and abortion I was rather surprised on hearing the President of the Republic finally shut- ting down calls for him not to sign the cannabis law approved by parliament, because indeed the Constitution precludes him from taking such de- cisions. He may not have specifically mentioned cannabis legalisation but the message was directed towards the different voices opposed to the law, calling on him not to sign the legisla- tion. So let everybody know what the 'Vel- la doctrine' is – for future presidents to come: "We hear calls that the president should do this and that but we need to be informed of what is possible… The head of state cannot capriciously create a constitutional crisis and cause instability… there is nothing in our Constitution that gives the president the final say on a law, otherwise we will create a dictator who decides what becomes law at a whim." Wise words indeed. A sagacious declaration that upholds the truth of our Constitution. No party grandee, no former prime minister, not one Mal- tese national tapped on the shoulder to be Head of State, can state otherwise. And the same will go to anyone who, like George Vella, toyed with abdicat- ing his responsibilities as Head of State when the issue of an abortion bill was once mooted: "I will never sign a bill that involves the authorisation of mur- der," Vella once said. "I cannot stop the executive from deciding, that is up to Parliament. But I do have the liberty, if I don't agree with a bill, to resign and go home, I have no problem doing this." Well... should Presidents have the right to huff and puff out of the palace when a democratically-elected govern- ment enacts a law they might not like? That would be a "capricious" crisis like no other. Helen Mifsud London, UK