The launch of the beatification process of the late couple Henry Casolani and his wife Inez will start on Saturday with a Mass led by Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna at the St Dominic Church at Rabat at 6.30 p.m.

The couple was known for their devotion towards the Church, a Curia statement said.

When it was announced that the couple were being considered for canonisation, their daughter reportedly said that her parents “loved everyone, whether a beggar or a bishop, and did not hold any grudges”.

The postulator of the late couple is Canon Etienne Sciberras who, at the start of the Mass, will make an official request to Mgr Scicluna. He will also present a list of 180 individuals who may appear before the tribunal to give their testimony along with 60 declarations made under oath by persons who have since passed away.

The ceremony is an important one for the Church since this is the first case where a Maltese couple has been touted for canonisation, the Curia said.