Pope Francis used his final address of his Papal visit in Malta to speak about the migration crisis, expressing his hope that Malta would always treat those who land on its shores as it treated St. Paul – with “unusual kindness.”

Pope Francis was welcomed at the John XXIII Peace Lab in Hal Far by Father Dionisio Mintoff, where he said that his presence “confirms us in our Faith in Jesus and encourages us even more to put ourselves at the service of those who suffer and who need our closeness, our care and our comfort.”

Speaking about the many migrants who find themselves in difficult situations, he said that nobody likes to leave their loved ones behind because of war, hunger and the inability to build their own future and that of their children.

Speaking on behalf of Christians he said that because of these situations they are called upon to be close to the weakest and “to continue our daily mission towards those who, whether for a limited time or permanently, land on our Island, to escape from misery and to have a better life.”

Pope Francis heard the personal testimonies of two particular migrants during his visit to the Peace Lab.

One is from Daniel Jude Oukeguale, a Nigerian who said that he travelled for 21 days, eight of which were through the desert, to reach Libya.

“Those who still owed money to the smugglers were locked up and tortured until they paid their dues. Some lost their lives; some lost their senses. I was lucky enough not be among them. At the time Libya was in turmoil; flying bullets became companions, and we were surrounded by violence. To travel from one place to another we were loaded like sardines to conceal us from the police,” Oukeguale told the Pope.

He said that two trips to Europe he had paid smugglers for were cancelled, for which he did not get his money back.  He eventually travelled on a rubber dinghy with over 100 others through the Mediterranean, before they were rescued by an Italian boat and pushed back to Libya.

Oukeguale says he only made it to Malta on his sixth attempt after which he spent six months in detention.

“Sometimes I cried! Sometimes I wished I had died. I was wondering if all this journey was a mistake. Why were men like us treating us like criminals and not like brothers?”

“After this time we were brought to the open centre at Hal Far just behind your back. Took me sometime to adapt, detention drained me. But within weeks, I started getting better, and I started living with a renewed hope and not my life is better thanks to those persons who helped me along the way,” the man told the Pope.

He said that he sometimes questions when his brothers and sisters still in custody will obtain freedom, and thanked the Pope for listening.

He embraced the migrants who shared their stories.

During his meeting, Pope Francis said that he feels very grateful to be spending some time with the migrants at the centre.

The Pope said that his meeting with the migrants made him think about the way they chose the logo for his journey to Malta, as it is taken from the Acts of the Apostles which relates how the people of Malta welcomed with “unusual kindness” the Apostle Paul and his companions when they shipwrecked in Malta. He added that he hopes Malta will always treat migrants and those who come to Malta, in the same way they did with Apostle Paul.

Apart from the many who ended up dispersed in a shipwreck tragedy, the Pope mentioned the existence of another tragedy, what he labelled as the “shipwreck of civilization”. This threatens not only migrants but everyone, he said.

Pope Francis said that this kind of shipwreck can be combatted only with kindness and humanity, by regarding people not merely as statistics but as people with the dignity they so rightly deserve.

He added that by imagining the many migrants that land in Malta, who have suffered in their country and have found no other way other than to leave their country to have a chance at life, could be anyone of close in person, this would help in trying to understand their experience.

Speaking about the Ukrainian War, he said that the experience of migrants reminded him of the many which had to flee Ukraine because of the present terrors, for which he said he will be praying.

Referring to Daniel Jude Oukeguale and Siriman Coulibaly, the other migrant who spoke to the pontiff, the Pope said that the experience of being “uprooted” and having to leave a life known behind leaves a mark. One which “takes time to heal”.

Pope Francis said that reception centres such as the one found in Hal Far, should be “places marked by human kindness”. He added that at play in such situations is also the fidelity for many Christians as the Gospel of Jesus goes “I was a stranger and you welcomed me”.

Addressing present migrants, the Pope said how he wishes for his dream for them to become “witnesses and agents of welcome and fraternity” to become true, as they too have received a welcome rich in human kindness and fraternity when they came to Malta.

Speaking about a question Siriman asked in his testimony to the Pope, he said that the dream of freedom and democracy wanted by many migrants, more often than not collides with the harsh reality “often dangerous, sometimes terrible and inhuman”.

After his speech Pope Francis, lit a candle together with migrants before the image of Our Lady. He referred to this act as being a very simple, yet meaningful symbol of Hope, “a hope that Mary, our Mother, keeps alive even at most difficult moments.”

While walking back to the motorcade, the Pope stopped to shake hands with many of those present, who passed on to him books, as well as a lifejacket as a symbol of the situation in the Mediterranean.

The Peace Lab is a voluntary organisation which was inaugurated by Giuseppe Roncalli, the brother of Pope John XXIII on 25th March 1971.

The Peace Lab is based in Ħal Far in a site which was originally part of an airfield which saw intensive air combats during World War II. It includes a church and a number of rooms, surrounded by extensive gardens. The change from a military station to a peace centre was the result of direct political action. The John XXIII Peace Lab is a practical example of the role that a voluntary organisation can play in shaping the conscience and opinion of others.

Over the years, the Peace Lab has been offering shelter and hospitality to a number of migrants and refugees from Mali, Ethiopia, Erithrea, Ivory Coast, Sudan, Cameroon, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Iran.

Following this last meeting, the Pope headed to the airport, where he had a brief meeting with President George Vella. On their way to the plane, the Pope was greeted by the AFM band, that played the Innu Malti and sauluted the pontiff.

The Pope then said goodbye to various Maltese officials and boarded the plane, bringing his visit to Malta to an end.

The Pope has used his two-day visit to Malta to drive home his call for Europe to show the same welcome to migrants and refugees as the Maltese showed St. Paul. Francis has expanded that message to express his gratitude for the welcome Europe has shown Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian war and his hope that same generosity could be extended to others.