‘Undivided’ – the Christian Celebration held in Malta

Il-Ħadd 2 ta’ Ottubru 2016, saret Ċelebrazzjoni Ekumenika ‘Undivided’, bis-sehem sħiħ tal-komunità Nisranija f’Malta, fi SmartCity, il-Kalkara. L-Arċisqof Charles J. Scicluna attenda għal din iċ-Ċelebrazzjoni Ekumenika, bil-parteċipazzjoni ta’ mexxejja Nsara oħra, f’simbolu fratern ta’ għaqda bejn l-Insara.

Message by Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna

SmartCity, Kalkara

2^nd October 2016

First of all I would like to thank everybody for the gathering here, it’s such a wonderful sight tonight. Thank you very much for being here. Thank you very much for praying for Unity.

Io vorrei dare un benvenuto a sua Eminenza, il nostro confratello Inadios, ma anche Sua Santita il Patriarcha Bartholomeo per suo abraccio fraterno e anche le benedizione e il suo saluto. Grazie di cuore Eminenza.

Thank you so much Fr Simon Godfrey for the great words from the Archbishop of Canterbury, for that wonderful presence we have in Valletta, St Paul’s Pro-Cathedral, your beautiful music and your really pleasant personality. Thank you personally for being such great ambassador of the great Anglican community.

I would like to thank every representative of so many Christian families, praying for unity. I would like to offer my message the prayer that we Christians in Malta whatever roots we have, will always rediscover the basic roots of our common baptism: the fact that we have been baptised in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. That is what makes us Christians. That is the most important aspect that is the witness we need to give to our Islands, to the Mediterranean, and to the world. It is such a blessing to think that the Lord thought of us in AD 60, and sent an apostle here called Paulus, in order to proclaim the name of Jesus. We are very proud of Chapter 28 (Acts), we are very proud of the welcome we gave to the apostle Paul, and we will keep asking ourselves, ‘are we true to that welcome, to that ‘Umanitas’, the loving embrace we gave Paul and all the people who were shipwrecked with him?’ This is something which needs to continue, and the love we show each other and the people who come on our shores. But I have the privilege to bring you the word of Pope Francis for this gathering tonight.  

I would like to thank this great couple for all they have done to encourage this, thank you so much. God Bless you.

✠ Charles J. Scicluna
    Archbishop of Malta