Fallacious Reports on the Bartolott Crypt
Press Statement
24th February 2025
Fallacious Reports on the Bartolott Crypt
The Environment and Planning Ombudsman has determined unequivocally that The Shift News report entitled ‘New floor caves in at St John’s Co-Cathedral project in collapse’
(January 18, 2025) is entirely fallacious. In his report, the Ombudsman stated the following: “Neither the images in the news article nor the investigation reveal any concerns that the new floor caved in, that any damage was caused to the underground chambers or that interventions are required to restore any damage.”
Despite this clear and unambiguous finding, it is disappointing to note that The Shift News has neither retracted its false allegations nor offered an apology to the Foundation.
In an attempt to undermine the Environment and Planning Ombudsman’s unequivocal statement that no “damage was caused to the underground chambers or that interventions are required to restore any damage”, in its latest post, The Shift News misinterprets the Method Statement approved by the Superintendence of Cultural Heritage (SCH), which specifies how the loose bedding (torba) below the flagstones was consolidated in some specific areas. ‘Subsidy’ being referred to in this Method Statement, at no point in time, refers to any collapse or severe damage but rather relates to some displacement in the ‘torba’ underlying the flagstones (‘cangatura’). This torba turned out to be a recent, probably 19th century, badly laid subfloor.
The Foundation calls on The Shift News to cease its harmful, alarmist and agenda-driven campaign.
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Stqarrija Stampa
24 ta’ Frar 2025
Rapporti Foloz dwar il-Kripta Bartolott
Skont ir-rapport ta’ l-Ombudsman, ma’ hemm l’ebda inekwivoku għal l-artiklu ta’ The Shift News bit-titlu ‘New floor caves in at St John’s Co-Cathedral project in collapse’ (18 ta’ Jannar, 2025) huwa kompletament falz.
Fir-rapport tiegħu, l-Ombudsman iddikjara dan li ġej: “La l-immaġini fl-artiklu tal-aħbarijiet u lanqas l-investigazzjoni ma jiżvelaw xi tħassib li s-sular il-ġdid ċeda, li saret xi ħsara lill-
kmamar ta’ taħt l-art jew li huma meħtieġa interventi biex tiġi restawrata xi ħsara.” Minkejja r-riżultat ta din l-investigazjoni ċara u mhux ambigwa, huwa diżappuntanti li wieħed jinnota li The Shift News la rtirat l-allegazzjonijiet foloz tagħha u lanqas offriet apoloġija lill-Fondazzjoni.
Iktar minn hekk, f’tentattiv biex twaqqa’ d-dikjarazzjoni inekwivoka tal-Ombudsman li ma saret l-ebda “ħsara lill-kmamar taħt l-art jew li huma meħtieġa interventi biex tiġi restawrata xi ħsara”, fl-aħħar publikazzjoni tagħha, The Shift News tinterpreta ħażin id-Dikjarazzjoni tal- Metodu approvata mis-Sovrintendenza tal-Wirt Kulturali (SCH), li tispeċifika kif il-friex mitluqa (torba) ġiet ikkonsolidata taħt xi żoni speċifiċi. Is-‘sussidju’ li qed jissemma f’din id- Dikjarazzjoni tal-Metodu, fl-ebda mument, ma jirreferi għal xi kollass jew ħsara serja iżda pjuttost jirrelata ma’ xi spostament fit-‘torba’ taħt il-ġebel (‘ċangatura’). Din it-torba rriżultat bħala “subfloor” reċenti, aktarx tas-seklu 19, imqiegħed ħażin.
Il-Fondazzjoni tappella lil The Shift News biex tieqaf mill-kampanja ta’ ħsara, allarmanti u mmexxija minn aġenda personali.