On Friday morning, Prime Minister Robert Abela met with His Holiness Pope Francis in the Vatican City.
The visit began with a private audience between Pope Francis and Prime Minister Abela. Various topics were discussed, including immigration. Pope Francis praised our country for its way of addressing the challenges related to this phenomenon. However, he also acknowledged that our country cannot act alone and therefore recognized that Malta needs help to address immigration.
Another topic discussed with the Head of the Catholic Church was the environment and climate change as in his Encyclical ‘Laudato Si’, His Holiness the Pope refers to the united effort required by each country related to this global challenge. The Pope and the Prime Minister spoke about the initiatives that Malta is taking with this topic that will be discussed during COP26 in Glasgow.
Regarding the Pope’s visit to Malta, the Prime Minister said that this will be taking place in the first quarter of next year.
After the private audience, the Pope welcomed the Prime Minister’s family; Mrs. Abela and their daughter Giorgia Mae as well as the rest of the Maltese delegation, with Pope Francis and Prime Minister Abela exchanging gifts with each other.
During the visit to the Vatican, the Prime Minister also had discussions with Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin, accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Photos (OPM)
