In the Grand Master’s Palace on the first floor, in the room adjacent to the Speaker’s Office, there is a print of a painting portraying Sir Thomas More. This particular picture has been there since 2001 and hangs on the walls of one of the offices related to our Parliament building for a very specific reason. Thomas More was declared the patron saint of politicians by the late Pope John Paul II, during the jubilee celebrations held at the Vatican City four years ago. It is customary for the Holy See to declare a holy year every 50 years and the jubilee festivities of 2001 were in fact such a commemoration.

I was fortunate enough to form part of the Maltese Parliamentary delegation to the Vatican on this solemn occasion, of which I still hold fond memories. Amusingly, though Malta is perhaps the smallest independent State in the world, that day our delegation was the largest, consisting of no less than 11 parliamentarians led by the Speaker. We were later accompanied also by the then Prime Minister as well as the President of Malta. Most of us were even accompanied by our spouses and children.

During the Holy Year, representatives from different sections of society were invited to attend every month or so; in fact the Pope had the opportunity to meet delegates from the entire world representing one time politicians and on other occasions journalists, judges, people from the world of sports and even representatives from the world of entertainment. My participation in this delegation was to prove to be my own personal experience of the late beloved Pope and I feel the urge to express my own sentiments on this experience in these difficult times.

Primarily, by declaring More the Patron Saint of Politicians, His Holiness wanted to forward a particular message to all Parliamentarians, which message was in actual fact the feeling of the whole conference. Sir Thomas More was an eminent jurist and politician during the reign of Henry VIII in the mid-15th century. This statesman was one of the king’s favourites and a personal friend of his.

The sovereign had so much faith in More that he appointed him Lord High Chancellor, an office still in existence today but which carried much more weight then. The High Chancellor, apart from being the top judicial officer in the UK, also serves as the de facto Minister of Justice and presides over the House of Lords. In those far-off days this Parliamentary Chamber was endowed with vast powers superseding by far those enjoyed by the House of Commerce.

Sir Thomas More therefore held the top post, second only to the King himself. These were to prove very difficult times indeed, especially for a person of integrity and conscience. It so happened that during that period the issue of the King’s divorce from his wife Catherine of Aragon was to lead to a split between the Church of England from the Vatican. The monarch in actual fact severed all ties with Rome and declared himself Head of the Church of England. In order to solidify his newly acquired position the sovereign insisted that a new Oath of Allegiance should be taken by all senior Government officials.

This, unfortunately, put More in a very difficult and awkward position. On the one hand, as an officer of the crown he was always very loyal to his King, and on the other hand he was an ardent Roman Catholic who owed primary allegiance to the Pope. In order to avoid unnecessary confrontation the Chancellor opted to resign from office. This however proved to be totally unsatisfactory to the Crown.

The former Chancellor of the period enjoyed the immense respect of one and all. It would therefore

prove to be an added bonus for

the Sovereign if an oath of allegiance by such a high profile personality were secured. This would surely do much to legitimise the King’s new position.

More was therefore finally cornered with very few options left open to him. He would either have to take the oath or else face accusations of high treason and a subsequent trial. More the politician however held his ground even in the shadow of the noose. He would not, under any circumstances, compromise his principles and moral convictions and he was subsequently tried and beheaded.

This in essence was the message the Pope had prepared for us politicians who had gathered from around the world on that happy occasion at St Peter’s. His Holiness told us never to compromise our political endeavours, what is intrinsically correct for our personal or political parties’ gain. What the Pope wanted us to reflect on seems only too obvious and simple. However his instructions are full of meaning and are very relevant. If all politicians were to take heed of what the Holy Father stressed upon, surely the world would be a much better place.

I too take the liberty to pay tribute to the late Pope who to my mind was a great statesman, a saintly religious leader and a beloved father to the whole world.

Dr Jose A. Herrera LL.D. MP