The death was announced today of Fr Arthur Vella SJ. He was 88 years old.

Born in Zejtun, he joined the Jesuits after a retreat at St Aloysius College.

He was ordained a priest in 1960 and served as Jesuit provincial, as rector of the Jesuit college Gesu in Rome and as director of Jesuit spirituality at the Jesuit Curia in Rome. He also spent some time in the missions in Chile.

In 1971 he was appointed by the Pope to lead the follow-up of the Ligutti-Lemieux efforts to modernise and centralise the Maltese church finances.

But he was more known for his counselling which he kept doing even when dying at hospital.