Pope Francis to visit Malta on May 31

Malta will be greeting Pope Francis on May 31.

The announcement was made by President George Vella following the end of a mass in solemnity of St Paul’s Shipwreck on Monday.

The mass was celebrated at St Paul’s Shipwreck church in Valletta, and attended by the president and his wife, Culture Minister Jose Herrera on behalf of the Prime Minister, the Opposition leader, the Valletta mayor and other dignitaries.

The message of the Vatican, announced by Vella was greeted with loud applause.

The unveiled logo for Pope Francis' May visit

On January 22, Pope Francis referenced Malta when he urged Catholics open their arms to migrants, as the Maltese had welcomed St Paul.

Pope Francis’s visit will be the fourth time the leader of the Catholic church visited Malta.

John Paul the second visited the Maltese islands twice, in 1990 and 2001, while Pope Benedict the sixteenth visited Malta in 2010.

Reacting to the pope’s visit, Prime Minister Robert Abela stating that the visit serves as reminder that despite the country’s small size, it still enjoys the respect of world leaders.

“Helping our community, toleration and civil rights are issues close to the pope’s heart. These values also characterize our government,” he said

During the occasion’s panegyric, Archbishop Scicluna made reference to the Maltese’s philanthropy when helping St Paul around 2,000 years ago.

“St Paul was chosen to deliver the message that the word of God also applied to pagans - as the Maltese were,” he said.