President of Malta George Vella had a private audience with Pope Francis on Thursday morning at the Vatican.
During the meeting, President Vella and His Holiness the Pope referred to the strong relations between Malta and the Holy See. They also focused on current world affairs, the effects of the war in Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and the need for just peace and dialogue.
The President outlined Malta's role in advancing the narrative of peace as an elected member of the United Nations Security Council, and since January as Chairperson-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Malta's vocation as a constitutionally neutral country, said the President, remains that of creating spaces for dialogue not only in the Mediterranean region, but also in other parts of the world.
The President of Malta and Pope Francis also spoke about challenges such as irregular migration, the use of weapons in conflicts and wars, as well as climate change.
With reference to Pope Francis's visit to Malta two years ago, President Vella told His Holiness that the people of Malta and Gozo have wonderful memories of his visit and remember it fondly.
In comments after the meeting, the President said that Pope Francis spoke about his beautiful memories of the people of Malta and Gozo during his visit to Malta.
After the meeting, Mrs Miriam Vella and the delegation, which includes the Minister for Foreign and European Affairs and Trade Ian Borg, also had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis.
At the end of the private audience, the President on behalf of the people of Malta presented Pope Francis with six computers as a donation to the Madre di Misericordia Clinic, which offers free healthcare to people living in situations of poverty, marginalization, and hardship.
Later in the day, accompanied by Minister Borg, President Vella had a meeting with the Vatican's Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
The Maltese delegation also visited the Madre di Misericordia Clinic, which opened in 2015 at the initiative of Pope Francis. The clinic, which offers a healthcare service to around 6,000 people a year, is entrusted to the Dicastery for the Service of Charity under the guidance of Cardinal Konrad Krajewski.