Pope John Paul II
Pilgrim in the footsteps of St. Paul
SPEECHES

09.05.2001
at MALTA AIRPORT - DEPARTURE
ENGLISH

ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY
PROF. GUIDO DE MARCO,
PRESIDENT OF MALTA

Your Holiness,
Your stay in Malta has lasted barely thirty hours, but Your presence in each and every one of us, will last a lifetime. For You, through Your presence, through Your words, and through Your deeds, have made us live the fullness of the faith and the richness of the Church.

You have beatified three of our nation, bringing them to the veneration of our people ­ a message for generations to come in piety, service and love of the Gospel. You have witnessed, Your Holiness, a people who are committed to a way of life which, within the evolution of history, has its links with the event which prompted and promoted Your visit to this country.

The inhabitants of this Island who welcomed Paul shared his prayers, embraced his preachings, and partook in his miracles. The words which close the Malta Chapter in the Acts of the Apostles ring a note of emotion:

"They honoured us in many ways and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed."

We are not furnishing You with any supplies, Your Holiness, but we are confirming to You what we believe and hope Malta will stand for in the years to come: a people that, in spite of problems and issues, will transmit to posterity the Catholicity of their faith; a people who have learnt through Your message of Peace, to use their geographic location to be in the service of peace; a country which, living the culture and future of Europe, will hold an outstretched hand to all its neighbours.

In this Your voyage, in the footsteps of St Paul, You have taught us the nobility of asking forgiveness, the sharing in the suffering of those who are denied their rights, the conviction that force will give way to dialogue, and that only peace can bring to peoples trust and prosperity.

We hope, Your Holiness, that the living Gospel that You have spread in this Sea of contradictions, the Mediterranean, will make us all understand that it is in a spirit of endurance that lasting values can be achieved.

Your Holiness,
Through Your teachings and through Your personal sufferings, through this Your pilgrimage, "an ardent prayer of hope", You serve as a beacon to humanity. We have been particularly blessed by Your visit.

Il-poplu Malti kollu, jara fik it-twettiq tal-fidi, f'milja ta' mhabba. Berikna. (The Maltese people see in You the wholeness of faith in the fulfillment of love. Bless us.)