Pope in Malta after meeting with refugees from Ukraine in Rome"Your ancestors offered hospitality to the Apostle Paul when he was on his way to Rome, treating him and his fellow travelers with 'uncommon cordiality'; now, coming from Rome, I too experience the warm welcome of the Maltese, a treasure handed down in this country from generation to generation."
This is how Pope Francis began his address to the authorities, civil society and the diplomatic corps, delivered from the Grand Council Hall of the Grand Master's Palace in Valletta, the capital of Malta, in the presence of the President of the Republic, George William Vela, who had received him at the airport with his wife, and Prime Minister Robert Abela.
"Because of its position, Malta can be defined the heart of the Mediterranean. But not only because of its position: the network of historical events and the meeting of peoples have made these islands, for millennia, a center of vitality and culture, of spirituality and beauty, a crossroads that has been able to welcome and harmonize influences from many parts," the Holy Father continued.
The Roman Pontiff took the opportunity, right from his first hours in Malta, to underline some of the most significant elements of his messages since he was elected to the See of Peter, addressed to States and institutions, and at the same time to each person, highlighting the life and dignity of the human person.
For example, when he encouraged "to continue to defend life from its beginning to its natural end, but also to protect it at all times from being discarded and abandoned. I am thinking especially of the dignity of workers, the elderly and the sick. And of young people, who are in danger of wasting the immense good that they are, chasing after illusions that leave so much inner emptiness".
The wind rose
The compass rose is the image that Pope Francis borrowed, he said, to delineate the four influences essential to the social and political life of the Republic of Malta, and "it is not by chance that in cartographic representations of the Mediterranean the compass rose was often placed near the island of Malta." The Pope then looked to the north, Europe and the European Union; to the west, the West; to the south, towards Africa, with the theme of immigration - "they are people!" he would say - and finally to the east, where he fixed his attention on the war in Ukraine, on peace and disarmament, and on what has been understood as a reference to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, without quoting him, and to the States:
This was one of the Pope's textual paragraphs on this point: "How much we need a 'human measure' in the face of the childish and destructive aggressiveness that threatens us, in the face of the risk of an 'extended cold war' that can suffocate the lives of entire peoples and generations. And it is sad to see how the enthusiasm for peace, which emerged after the Second World War, has weakened in recent decades, as has the path of the international community, with a few powerful people moving ahead on their own, seeking space and zones of influence. And so, not only peace, but so many major issues, such as the fight against hunger and inequalities, have been de facto dropped from the main political agendas. But the solution to the crises of each is to take charge of those of all, because global problems require global solutions".
Trip to Kiev: "It's on the table".
By the way, the Pope was asked on the plane if he values the possibility of traveling to Kiev, and his answer was: "It is on the table," various media report. "Let us help each other to listen to people's thirst for peace, let us work to lay the foundations for an ever broader dialogue, let us meet again at international conferences for peace, where the central theme is disarmament, with an eye to the generations to come. And let us ensure that the vast resources that continue to be spent on armaments are used for development, health and food," the Pope said in his address.
"Now, in the night of war that has fallen upon humanity, let us not let the dream of peace disappear. Malta, which shines with its own light in the heart of the Mediterranean, can inspire us, because it is urgent to restore beauty to the face of man, disfigured by war".
"We need compassion and care."
The Holy Father then referred to "a beautiful Mediterranean statue dating from centuries before Christ that represents peace, Irene, as a woman holding Pluto, wealth, in her arms. It reminds us that peace produces well-being and war only poverty, and it makes us think of the fact that in the statue peace and wealth are represented as a mother holding a baby in her arms."
"The tenderness of mothers, who give life to the world, and the presence of women are the true alternative to the perverse logic of power, which leads to war. We need compassion and care, not ideological visions and populisms that feed on words of hatred and do not concern themselves with the concrete life of the people, of ordinary people," the Pope affirmed at this point.
"Paul was succored: the beauty of serving."
"The migratory phenomenon is not a circumstance of the moment, but marks our time (...). From the poor and populated south, a multitude of people are moving to the richer north. It is a fact that cannot be rejected with anachronistic closures, because in isolation there will be neither prosperity nor integration. Space must also be taken into account.
"The expansion of the migratory emergency - let us think of the refugees from the martyred Ukraine - demands broad and shared responses. Only some countries cannot bear the entire burden of the problem, while others remain indifferent," Francis added. "And civilized countries cannot sanction shady deals with criminals who enslave people out of self-interest. The Mediterranean needs European co-responsibility, to become once again the scene of solidarity and not the outpost of a tragic shipwreck of civilizations."
The Holy Father then cited the episode of the shipwreck of the Apostle of the Gentiles: "Speaking of shipwreck, I think of St. Paul, who in the course of his last voyage in the Mediterranean reached these shores unexpectedly and was rescued. Then, bitten by a viper, they thought he was a murderer; but later, when they saw that nothing bad had happened to him, he was considered a god (cf. Acts 28:3-6).
Between the exaggerations of the two extremes, the main evidence escaped: Paul was a man in need of welcome. Humanity comes first and rewards in everything. This country, whose history has benefited from the forced arrival of the shipwrecked apostle, teaches this. In the name of the Gospel he lived and preached, let us open our hearts and discover the beauty of serving those in need.
"The invasion narrative."
Today, while fear and 'the invasion narrative' prevail, and the main objective seems to be the protection of one's own security at any cost, let us help each other not to see the migrant as a threat and not to give in to the temptation of raising drawbridges and erecting walls".
"The other is not a virus to be defended against, but a person to be welcomed," the Pope stressed, and "the Christian ideal will always invite us to overcome suspicion, permanent distrust, the fear of being invaded, the defensive attitudes imposed on us by today's world" (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, 88). Let us not allow indifference to destroy the dream of living together! Certainly, welcoming requires effort and renunciation. It also happened to St. Paul: in order to save himself, he first had to sacrifice the goods of the ship (cf. Acts 27:38). But renunciations are holy when they are made for a greater good, for the life of man, which is God's treasure.
Dignity of the human person
"At the foundation of solid growth is the human person, respect for life and the dignity of every man and woman. I know the commitment of the Maltese to embrace and protect life." [note: the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights has urged Malta to 'repeal provisions criminalizing abortion', and Malta has responded that its pro-life laws do not endanger women's lives].
The Pontiff continued: "Already in the Acts of the Apostles you distinguished yourselves by saving many people", and then encouraged the defense and protection of life, as stated above: "I encourage you to continue to defend life from its beginning to its natural end, but also to protect it at all times from being discarded and abandoned. I am thinking especially of the dignity of workers, the elderly and the sick. And the young (...) Let us protect the beauty of life.
Earlier, referring to the fact that "the North evokes Europe, in particular the house of the European Union, built so that there may live a great family united in the safeguarding of peace", the Pope had recalled the prayer written by Dun Karm PsailaGod omnipotent, grant wisdom and mercy to those who govern, health to those who work, and ensure unity and peace to the Maltese people. Peace follows unity and springs from it." [Dun Karm Psaila, 1871-1961, Maltese priest and poet, author of the national anthem of Malta].
"This is a reminder of the importance of working together, of putting cohesion before any division, of strengthening the shared roots and values that have forged the uniqueness of Maltese society," the Pope stressed.
About the Middle East
The Holy Father concluded with a thought on "the neighboring Middle East, which is reflected in the language of this country, which harmonizes with others, such as the capacity of the Maltese to generate beneficial coexistence, in a sort of coexistence of differences. This is what the Middle East needs: Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and other contexts torn apart by problems and violence".
"In the afternoon, the Pope will hold a prayer meeting at the Marian Shrine of Ta'Pinu, on the island of Gozo, and tomorrow Francis will celebrate Holy Mass in one of the largest open spaces in Malta, in Piazza dei Grani in Floriana. Tomorrow Francis will celebrate Holy Mass in one of Malta's largest open spaces, in Granary Square in Floriana, and will visit the John XXIII Peace Lab Migrant Center, which welcomes people from Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan who have embarked from Libya to cross the Mediterranean.
