Pope Francis arrives in Malta for two-day visit

Pope Francis has arrived for his visit to Malta this weekend. 

Malta welcomed the Holy Father on Saturday, the islands' fourth Papal visit. Pope John Paul II, now saint, had come to Malta in 1990 and 2001, while pope emeritus Pope Benedict XVI visited in 2010.

Pope Francis arrived at the Malta International Airport just after 10am, where he was greeted by President George Vella, Prime Minister Robert Abela and the Prime minister's family.  The Armed Forces of Malta band and an AFM ceremonial guard of honour conducted a welcoming ceremony. Two children aged six and eight greeted him with flowers.  Other dignitaries, including the Speaker of Parliament and the Chief Justice, were also present to greet the Pope. 

He will then be driven to Valletta, where he will swap his official car for the Popemobile, in order to allow members of the public to see him better, as he travels through the streets of Valletta and Floriana.

Videos of the routes through which Pope Francis will pass through during his two-day visit in Malta were released on Friday on the official website of the Pope’s Apostolic Journey, www.popefrancis.mt.

Several roads along the papal route will be closed off to traffic and cleared of parked cars in anticipation of the motorcade. Most streets in Valletta and Floriana have been completely closed to traffic from until Sunday at 6pm. Other roads on the route will be closed off several hours before the motorcade passes through them and will be opened afterwards.

The Pope was then received by the President of Malta, at the Grand Master’s Palace in Valletta. There he will meet the Prime Minister, government officials and members of the Diplomatic Corps. Around 150 people in all will meet the Pope at the Palace on Saturday.

Outside, in St George’s Square, some 1,300 people will attend a concert by the Malta Catholic Youth Movement. The pope is expected to greet people from the Palace balcony after the meeting concludes.

He will be accompanied by the President and Prime Minister together with their wives, and heads of the church in Malta and Gozo. 

In the afternoon, the Pope will be travelling to Gozo aboard a catamaran departing the Grand Harbour at 3:50pm. After arriving at Mgarr harbour, Pope Francis will be driven in the Popemobile to the national shrine of Ta’ Pinu in Gozo where he will be leading a prayer meeting, before returning to Malta later in the evening.

On Sunday, the Pope will be having a private meeting with fellow members of the Society of Jesus, the Jesuits, at the Apostolic Nunciature in Rabat, before visiting the Grotto of St. Paul at the Basilica of St. Paul in Rabat.

Over 12,000 worshippers have registered to attend a Holy Mass which will be celebrated by the Pope at the Granaries Floriana. Organisers inform attendees that they must be seated by 9am. The mass is scheduled to begin at 10:15 sharp.

Before concluding his two-day visit to Malta on Sunday, the Pope will be visiting migrants at the Peace Laboratory, run by Father Dionysius Mintoff in Ħal Far at 4:45pm. It is understood that the Pope himself requested to meet migrants during his visit to Malta, in order to shine a spotlight on the plight of migrants crossing the Mediterranean toward Europe.

Pope Francis will then head to the airport, where a farewell ceremony will be held prior to his departure for Rome at 6:15pm.