After a couple of no shows, our President, Marie Louise Coleiro Preca has made it to the Vatican.  With Michelle and Joseph launching their platforms at the UN in New York there was perfect opportunity for the President to be comfortable in paying Pope Francis a visit which was long overdue.

The outcome and reaction to this visit has been rather muted but as usual, it was followed by an invitation to the Pope to visit Malta.  The President then saw fit to tell the Pope what he should preach about when in Malta.  She said she would like the Pope to particularly address children and young people with a view to follow the values of their forefathers, particularly friendship, tolerance, love and respect to other people.

Aside from the fact that it is not entirely certain that our forefathers embraced such values, I would understand if she had expressed that she holds the spiritual formation of children and youths close to her heart and realizes the many challenges they face in today's secularised and material world, and when confronted with the strife and conflict around us.   "Everything you have just said comes from an honest heart and no one will contradict a word of it."  Jdt 8, 28.  But to tell His Holiness that she would like the Pope to address a particular subject, basically telling him what to say, seems rather presumptuous and unnecessary.  If you follow the Pope on his daily post on Facebook and tweets, it is clear that Pope Francis is not afraid of any subject and keeps all of God's children in mind.  He is also abreast of all social and spiritual matters relating to the faithful and non-faithful.   "He will hear our voice if such is his good pleasure".  Jdt 8:17  "You must not ask what I intend to do;  I shall not tell you until I have done it".  Jdt 8:34.

Moreover, the teachings of the Pope at gatherings of the faithful are fruit of the Holy Spirit and I suppose a fair amount of research made in advance by his Secretariat or Doctrine office, in consultation with the local Church.

The observance made by the President is in itself a matter for social discourse.  She is concerned about the way youth are behaving and that they appear to be losing their social values.  There was no mention of them losing their faith, but rather of losing those civil aspects that contribute to a healthy and well educated citizen:  friendship, tolerance, love and respect to other people.   Was this impression formed following the debate on divorce and civil unions with right to adopt?  Maybe there was opposition sounded to these proposals and this generated a sense that there is an intolerance of those who differ to our norms and rules for living?  Maybe not.  Youth today, in many civil and social spheres, represents some of the best initiatives to be found in Malta. Take for example, the huge sporting marathons made for Dar Tal Providenza by the Moviment Kerygma to raise funds.  The Organisation for Friendship in Diversity initiative is a wonderful  youth-led non-profit organisation working in the field of inclusion and diversity to promote the values of cultural understanding, respect, communication and friendship in order to challenge social stigmas in Malta today.  It's vision is to " promote friendship through diversity, build relationships and friendships as the first, and moreover the simplest, way to combat racist stereotypes and xenophobic attitudes at their roots".  Many families look forward to the events organized by this group, especially the summer camps which include refugee children.  Another organization that was founded by a young person is the Drama Outreach Project. The project brings a unique developmental programme using drama and music to teach English and self development to children in underprivileged communities.  DRAMA OUTREACH PROJECT is a registered voluntary organisation providing a dynamic developmental programme designed to promote self-confidence, teach English, encourage effective social interaction, enthusiasm, energy and a positive approach to life.  Many readers followed their splendid work in Phnom Penh last Summer and this Summer and already much progress has been made with the children who have been sponsored by people and supported by businesses from Malta. 

Many other youths of today were born into the Neo-Catholic Communities and have gone on to become good citizens not just in Malta but around the world, with a true sense of values, both civic and religious.  Kurt Calleja, Malta's Eurovision contestant showed us how well he can promote a good image amongst youth and also Dr Gianluca Bezzina reached many hearts with his lovely singing and smile.  

 

There is, though, an element of youths in Malta & Gozo that leaves something to be desired when it comes to friendship  and respect to other people.   The problem they present is more of an ingrained mentality which was taught to them or which they picked up and now they find difficult to change.  We see quite a bit of this in Sport where the sense of competitiveness is exaggerated and unsuitable for amateur games and activities.  It could be school teams or youth clubs playing against a foreign team and the sentiment is clearly hostile.  This attitude is passed on from the Coaches or trainers with good intent for cultivating a sense of commitment and desire to win and peer pressure also plays a part.  Many sports teams are a pleasure to play but unfortunately there are some that can be said to be unfriendly and lacking in respect.  An insult can be understood just from the tone, even if spoken in another language.  It is not to say that Maltese teams or sporting individuals do not see or receive the same from foreigners but if we see this trait in us, it would be a good thing indeed to change it.

In truth, the same lack of values is missing from many of the older generations too.  How many times would it be desirable to send the parents off the field!

It is something of concern about the Maltese person and we would do well to become aware of it and do all we can to improve by following the law, learning good manners and expanding our knowledge of the world and the globalization affecting us all today.

It remains rather discouraging though, to see our own Prime Minister turn away a request from a Captain of a ship, for one of his sailors to be treated here in Malta.  Ebola or no Ebola, the message was that we Maltese should be left alone and we are not our brother's keeper.  And this for a Philippine where we owe so much here in Malta to the dear Philippine girls who left their home to come out here to take care of our relatives.  Who knows - maybe one of this sailor's own sisters is here already! It would have been good to hear what the President thought about this incident and what it teaches young people.  I don't think the Pope should be the one to come in and clean up after the mess. 

 

So, moving on to the other matters discussed at the meeting, although we heard nothing at all mentioned about them in the interview made with Mrs Coleiro Preca in St. Peter's Square, a statement issued by the Vatican said that Migration, the family and the European Union were subjects covered by Pope Francis and the President of Malta when the two met.  They focused on "good relations" between the Holy See and Malta and "highlighted the significant contribution made by the Catholic Church in the fields of education and welfare, especially in favour of the poor." 

The Vatican said the conversation also turned to "various themes of mutual interest, with special reference to the role of Christian values in the edification of Maltese society and the strengthening of the institution of the family."

Finally, the two leaders discussed Malta's "contribution within the European Union, along with a number of questions of an international nature, such as the situations of conflict in the Mediterranean region, expressing hope for a prompt solution via dialogue, as well as the phenomenon of migration towards Europe, which involves commitment on the part of the Church and the Government."

But we have not heard from the President about this discussion other than that the Pope was invited to Malta - which is welcomed.  Maybe there was not so much "purring" as there was "growling"?  Or perhaps a lesson was learnt when David Cameron repeated a conversation that he had with Her Majesty?  I think that some sharing of the discussion with the mature citizens of Malta would have been appreciated and would show respect towards Pope Francis and towards the Maltese.

I have been to World Youth Days when Pope John Paul II was there to meet the Youth and the sense of excitement and gratitude that is felt when you see the Pope is truly great.  I wonder that the President was left unaffected by her meeting and did not communicate that joy that is received from such an encounter with Pope Francis.  He is always smiling but this time, the smile was hard to discern.  This Pope is familiar with all sorts of people, believers and non believers but as Head of the Catholic Church he may be looking at what is taking place in Malta as cause for concern.

 

We hope that should we indeed be blessed with a visit from Pope Francis, all hearts and minds will be open to all that he has to say and that we can show all the friendship and respect to his Holiness and to all our brothers and sisters at home and in the world around us.