The Roman Catholic world has a new Pope.

After three days of black smoke, on May 8th, at 18:09, white smoke billowed from a small chimney above the Sistine Chapel, under the watchful eyes of millions of people across the world. 

A short while later, Robert Francis Prevost, a soft-spoken prelate from the United States of America, an Augustinian friar, who lived most of his adult life as a missionary in Peru, exited the balcony above St. Peter's Square introduced himself to the world as Pope Leo XIV.

The first words, uttered by a new Pope, give a clear indication of his papal priorities, and Pope Leo spoke about peace - that the world, riddled with geopolitical tensions, badly needs.

Challenging the status quo

I have had the occasion, through this column, to write about the legacy of Pope Francis. He was a staunch campaigner for the rights of the oppressed and the marginalized, and on various occasions, he disappointed the conservative forces with the Church whose mission is to defend the status quo. But Francis was one to challenge the status quo, and he did this to the very end.

Pope Leo XIV steps into his shoes. He will be different, of course, with his own set of ideas on how to strengthen the Church and enable it to embrace people of all backgrounds.

He will be deeply scrutinized within the Church but also beyond it - as should be.

Perhaps one of his greatest challenges would be to make the Church truly relevant in today's times when churches, in Europe especially, have witnessed dramatic declines in attendance.

He would also need to find new ways and means how to reach out to the younger generations who spend most of their time on social media. It is often said that the Church badly needs to use new tools to convey its message. Many argue that despite efforts, it has failed consistently to do so. The new Pope will have to address this situation.

Peace above all

But his biggest challenge would be to bring some sense to a world that favours militarization over peace and stability. 

Only recently have we seen EU leaders insisting that the way forward, to tackle the many conflicts and wars across the globe, was to invest in weapons. 

Those who insist that diplomacy is the solution are often frowned upon. It is a sad situation indeed. 

The first indication is that Pope Leo will promote peace, and he will do so forcefully. His chosen namesake indicates that nothing will stand in his way. The world needs strong leadership. The American Augustinian friar, now head of the Roman Catholic Church, seems determined to do so. 

Malta first 

A vessel, named Conscience, with no flag to show its identity, chartered close to Malta's territorial waters and claimed that it was fired upon. 

It said that it was carrying humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza and asked the Maltese government to let it into its territorial waters for the vessel to be repaired.

With reports of fire on board, the Armed Forces of Malta rushed to the scene and put off the fire, ensuring the safety of the crew.

There were immediate calls for the government to allow the vessel into Malta's territory. 

However, Prime Minister Robert Abela took what now everyone agrees to have been a truly responsible decision. He made it abundantly clear that first and foremost the crew aboard the vessel had to declare the type of cargo they were carrying and for that to happen the AFM needed to board the vessel and see for itself. He also offered the services of a maritime surveyor. The crew replied with a flat no.

He stood firm

Pressure mounted on the Prime Minister to let the vessel in. But he stood firm. Eventually, the crew agreed to the government's conditions, and a maritime surveyor was allowed on board the vessel whilst the crew took a flight back home. 

It was reported that the ship was carrying food and drinks for its crew, mostly with a 'limited' portion of that intended as humanitarian aid for Gaza. 

The rest of the details have been reported in various media outlets, but what was especially significant in this sensitive case, which could have easily got out of hand, was the strong leadership shown by Prime Minister Abela.

Whilst Malta offered help, with members of the Armed Forces deployed to put out fires on board the vessel, it also protected the interest, mostly security related, of Malta and the Maltese.

Our commitment towards the people of Gaza is unconditional. Young Gazitans have been to Malta to receive state of the art health care. We are resolute in our commitment to stand by the people of Gaza.

Strong leadership 

This was not an isolated case where Prime Minister Abela showed strong leadership. I was witness to his strong leadership at the height of the Covid 19 pandemic. 

I remember that when Covid cases started to soar, economic experts told us, Cabinet members, that Malta was facing an economic crisis with the projection that thousands of jobs would be lost.

Robert Abela stood tall and was determined not only to protect jobs and businesses but also to keep the economy going strong. Everybody agrees that he did. Malta withstood an unprecedented crisis and emerged from it with flying colours.

People first

When Russia invaded Ukraine and the price of essential items, food and fuels mostly skyrocketed across the globe, many predicted an ultra-high inflation in Malta.

Robert Abela stepped in to protect people's livelihoods. An effective mechanism, called 'Stabbilta' was introduced that kept the price of food items in check whilst the government ensured that it would continue to subsidize the prices of fuels rather than asking consumers to carry the burden, as happened in most of the other EU countries.

Care and compassion 

sisted Voluntary Euthanasia was a key promise in the Labour Party 2022 electoral manifesto. We keep our promises. Earlier this week, my colleague, Parliamentary Secretary Rebecca Buttigieg, launched a consultation process on this matter.

It is admittedly a sensitive subject that must be discussed with gravitas that it deserves. At the core of the proposals, which are rigid, as should be, are two key values that underline the reason for these proposed measures: care and compassion.

Only adult Maltese residents with a prognosis of death within six months will be eligible under strict criteria.

The consultation document makes clear that euthanasia will not be available to individuals with mental health conditions, disabilities, age-related illnesses such as dementia, or those experiencing social isolation in care homes.

Patients must be over 18, have been resident in Malta for at least 12 months, and must personally request assisted dying. Doctors will be prohibited from suggesting the option to patients.

I hope that this consultation process shall be allowed to happen without it being politically tainted in a partisan manner. It is too important and too sensitive to be rendered into a politically partisan affair.