Pope begins pastoral visit to Malta

(April 17, 2010) Pope Benedict XVI is on a pastoral visit to Malta, Saturday and Sunday, to celebrate the 1950th anniversary of the shipwreck of St. Paul on the tiny Mediterranean island. The Pope arrived from Rome at Malta’s Luqa international airport Saturday evening where he was officially welcomed by Maltese president George Abela and church and civil authorities. This weekend trip to Malta is the Pope’s first foreign visit outside Italy this year and the 14th of his pontificate. Malta has a long Christian legacy that can be traced back to the times of St. Paul who was shipwrecked on the island in 60 AD on his way to Rome, as recounted in the Acts of the Apostles. After three months on the island, during which he evangelized the people, he proceeded to Rome. The tiny republic, less than 100 kms. south of the Italian island of Sicily, has a population of some 443,000 people, 94% of whom are Catholic. During the 26-hour pastoral visit, Pope Benedict is scheduled to deliver 5 discourses. On Sunday he will celebrate an open air Mass and meet young people before returning to Rome. Pope Benedict has four more foreign trips scheduled this year, all in Europe: Portugal, Cyprus, Britain and Spain.