Religious tourism stop for de Marco

It was a welcome break from hard-nosed politics for Mario de Marco this morning as he started the day in the crypt of the Zejtun parish church. The restored crypt with magnificent arches provided the backdrop for one of the tourism minister's stops during a tour of the parish church dedicated to St Catherine. Dr de Marco smiled when he was told that the high humidity in the crypt used to preserve the bodies buried there. "When the tombs used to be cleaned more than bones used to be transferred to the ossuary because the humidity preserved the body," Fr Gino Gauci told a bemused minister. "And it was no miracle just humidity," the priest added. The crypt restoration is just one of a series of projects undertaken by the Zejtun parish to create a heritage trail for visitors within the church. EU funds were used to finance the project that will also see a revamped museum at the backside of the church coming to life with important paintings and statues. During a tour of the place, Fr Gauci, who is coordinating the project, said visitors will start from the oratory and move on to the main church by passing through a narrow corridor. Visitors will then proceed down a spiral stone...