The Pope’s two – day visit to foreign countries begins on Saturday, April 2.
Joey Cariveli, Vatican City
Pope Francis pays a pastoral visit to the European country of Malta. The pope arrived on Saturday (02/04/22) in Malta, an island nation located in the Mediterranean Sea between Italy and Africa. This two-day pastoral visit is the Pope’s 36th foreign apostolic visit. The motto of this visit of the pastors is an excerpt from the second verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles, “They treated us with extraordinary humanity.” This verse praises the mercy shown by the natives to the apostle Paul and his companions, who escaped from the wreck and swam ashore in Malta while being taken captive to Rome.
The reality of the postponed trip
At the invitation of the President, Government and local church of Malta, the pope has visited La Valletta, Rabat, Floriana and the islands of Gotho (La Valletta, Rabat and Floriana Gozo). The visit is scheduled for May 31, 2020. But it was canceled after the Kovid 19 epidemic broke out.
Former Pope’s visit to Malta
Francis is the third pope to step foot on Maltese soil in the last three decades. Pope John Paul II has twice visited the island of Malta in 1990 and 2001. Pope Benedict XVI arrived in the Vatican in 2010.
Malta
With an area of only 316 square kilometers, the capital of Malta is Valletta. Birkirkar is the largest city in the country. The population of the country is about 4 lakh 78000. The official languages used by them are Maltese and English. Eighty-five percent of the population is Catholic.
Malta, which had been under British rule since 1800, became independent in 1964. For the then Parliamentary Republic on December 13, 1973. Malta is a member of the European Council and the United Nations, a member of the Commonwealth. The European Parliament is currently chaired by Roberto Metsola, a native of Malta.
On December 15, 1965, Malta established diplomatic relations with the Holy See. Malta is a strategic country located in the heart of the Mediterranean and the only European country where abortion is strictly prohibited. However, in 2011 the divorce was formally approved.
The church is millennia old
The history of the church at that time goes back to the sixties, that is, to the shipwreck described in the Acts of the Apostles. The ship carrying Paul and the other prisoners crashed on its way to Rome. Paul and his group arrived in Malta after swimming. Thus, that event marked the beginning of evangelism in that country.
Pope visits Malta
During his voyage, Pope Francis will travel a total of more than 1,370 kilometers by air, land and water, and will deliver six sermons. The pope, who landed in Malta on Saturday morning, will return to the Vatican on Sunday night.
In the presence of the Holy Mother of the Pope
On Friday, April 1 (01/04/22), the Pope, as usual before his pastoral visit, will pay homage to the patron saint of the Apostolic Nuncio, who bows at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome, saluting him as “Salus Populi Romani” as patron saint of the Roman people. Dedicated to mother.
The beginning of the pastoral visit
On the second day, Saturday, at 7.40 am local time, at 11.10 pm local time, he boarded a papa car to the International Airport in Rome, that is, to the airport in Leonardo da Vinci, about thirty kilometers from the Vatican, in Fumicino. As the airport falls within the jurisdiction of the Diocese of Porto Santa Rufina, Bishop Gentrico Rutsa was present at the airport to bid farewell to Pope Benedict XVI. After Papa and his entourage boarded the Itha (ITA) Airbus Airbus A320 parked there, the spacecraft carried them to Luca International Airport in Malta.
The flight took about 1 hour and 30 minutes to cover the 686 km distance between the two airports.
Pope’s congratulatory message to the President of Italy
During the voyage, Pope Benedict sent a congratulatory message to Italian President Sergio Matarella as the plane flew over Italy.
As he leaves the Italian border for a pastoral visit to the glorious and beautiful country of Malta, a millennium-old harbor with numerous destinations in the heart of the Mediterranean, the President will not be delighted to meet the people of that country.
A gift for Papa on a spaceship
Eva Fernandez, a journalist with the Spanish Catholic Broadcasting Corporation’s radio station, flew to Damascus during a flight to Malta.
Reception at the airport
The Pope was received at the airport by the wife of Malta’s President George William Vella, the then Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Alessandro de Rico, and the Maltese Holy See’s Ambassador Frank Tsammith.
The Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Alessandro de Rico and the head of the pope’s visitors boarded the plane and led the pope out. The President and his wife received the Pope on a flight of stairs. Two children, dressed in traditional attire that evokes the cultural uniqueness of Malta, presented flowers to the pope. The military band then played the national anthems of both countries, after which they introduced the delegations of the Vatican and Malta. The pope then paid his respects and paid homage to the national flag of Malta. The president and his wife then escorted the pope to the banquet hall. Shortly afterwards, the pope left for the president’s official residence, about 10 miles[10 km]from the airport. Built in the year 1571, this building is located in the capital city of La Valletta. It is also known as the Grand Master Palace.
Pope at the Presidential Palace
In the courtyard of the Presidential Palace, the President and his wife received the Pope, led him to the second floor, and exchanged gifts.
Pope’s gift
The Pope presented the President with a visitor’s commemorative emblem of the visit to Malta, April 2, 3, 2020, and Romans 2022 below.
In the center of this seal is the image of St. Paul. At the apostle’s right foot is depicted a serpent that jumped out of a fire and bit into his hand without injuring him. The seal shows the dome of the Cathedral of Malta on the left, the island of Malta behind it, and on the right a ship reminiscent of the shipwreck of the Pilgrimage Center, Paul and other prisoners on the island of Tapino in Gotze.
After the official photography, Pope Francis had a private meeting with President George William Vella. After getting to know the President’s family, the Pope signed a book recording the visit of distinguished guests. The pope then had a brief talk with then-Prime Minister Robert Abela. The pope then met with a group of 150 people, including local officials and diplomats, at the Grand Council Chamber and addressed them.
The President welcomed the Pope to the meeting.
In his welcome address, the President said that the Pope’s visit after a long wait would strengthen the strong and historic ties between Malta and the Holy See.
Kovid 19 He went through various issues such as the epidemic, war, environmental destruction, the role of women in immigrant society, the need for unity, synodism, and the sanctity of life.
President George William Vella also pointed out that the devastating war in Ukraine has paved the way for the manifestation of the goodness, compassion and solidarity of hell. He pointed out that our diseased planet is experimental and blamed us for ignoring the signs of environmental degradation, climate change and natural resource exploitation.
He reiterated the need to reduce arms production and arms trafficking in the Mediterranean and around the world. He said the outcome of the arms race was a continuation of violence, divisions, humanitarian crises and deaths due to lack of access to medicine and food. The President assured that Malta would continue to fulfill its principled mission of promoting dialogue and mutual respect between nations, cultures and religions. He also pointed out the need to respect the sanctity of life from its inception to its natural end.
Following the President’s welcome address, the Pope addressed Maltese officials and diplomats.
Experiential warm welcome
The pope recalled that the Apostle Paul, who arrived in Malta on a voyage to Rome, and his companions were treated with “extraordinary compassion” by the ancestors of the people of Malta, and that he, too, was receiving a warm welcome from the people of Malta.
The heart of the Mediterranean region
He described the country as “the heart of the Mediterranean” because of its majestic location. Papa added that Malta is a crossroads where influences from many parts can be welcomed and integrated, and that this diverse influence indicates the diversity of winds that characterize this country.
Special strength of Malta
“Malta, located in the heart of the Mediterranean region, can inspire us to meet the urgent need to restore the roses that have been ravaged by war,” he said. Pope Benedict reminded that the solution to everyone’s crisis is to solve everyone’s problems, because global problems need global solutions.
Diversion of money set aside for weapons
The pope reminded that we must help each other to understand the thirst of the people for peace and to lay the groundwork for a broader dialogue, and that we must return to international conferences for peace that focus on future generations and that disarmament is central. The pope said large sums of money set aside for weapons should be diverted to development, health and food.
The need for coexistence
Referring to the Middle East, the Pope noted Malta’s unique ability to enable effective diversity of diversity, adding that Lebanon, Syria and Yemen, as well as other places torn apart by problems and violence, need this coexistence.
Pope Francis delivered his keynote address in Malta, the heart of the Mediterranean region, with the hope that God will bless Malta and Gotzo, and that the pursuit of life, acceptance of others, and the thirst for peace may continue with the help of the God of Peace.
After a meeting with government officials and diplomats, the pope traveled to the Apostolic Nuncio, 13 km from the Presidential Palace, where he attended a luncheon. The pope was on his way to the National Marian Pilgrimage Center at Tha Pinu via the port of Mgar in Gotso, where he led a prayer service on Saturday (02/04/22) afternoon in Maltese.