News

Maltese priests set off to Poland to compete in European futsal championship

Malta’s first participation in European Futsal Championship of Catholic Priests

Photos: Erika Lanzafame

A group of Maltese priests is heading to Poland with an unusual mission: representing the country for the first time in an annual futsal championship for Catholic priests in Europe.

Poland – the reigning champion – is hosting the 18th edition of the European Futsal Championship of Catholic Priests, a championship which was launched in Austria in 2003 and since organised annually, with an interruption caused by the Covid-19 pandemic… Read more »

It is the same calling. The priest is the one who intercedes before God on behalf of the people – Fr. Jesmond Schembri

Filming and editing: Miguela Xuereb & Laura Galea; interview: Maria Emma Buhagiar

Dun Jesmond Schembri ġie ordnat qassis tal-Knisja Griega Kattolika. Il-qassis novell li huwa wkoll raġel miżżewweġ, missier, u nannu, irċieva l-ordinazzjoni presbiterali l-Ħadd 8 ta’ Frar minn idejn l-Isqof Benedittin Manuel Nin i Güell, li ftit tal-jiem ilu tħabbar li l-Papa Ljun XIV ħatru bħala l-Eżarka ta’ Grottaferrata… Read more »

Pope at Angelus: God will never discard us

  St Peter's Square, the Vatican

Photo: Vatican Media Message of Pope Leo XIV

Dear brothers and sisters, happy Sunday!

After proclaiming the Beatitudes, Jesus addresses those who put them into practice, saying that thanks to them the earth is no longer the same and the world is no longer in darkness. “You are the salt of the earth… You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:13-14)… Read more »

Academics and clinicians support organ donation law changes with strong ethical safeguards

Photo: Zakir Rushanly

A group of University of Malta academics and senior clinical staff at Mater Dei Hospital have expressed support for the Government’s proposed changes to Malta’s organ donation law, provided that ethical safeguards remain fully applicable.

In a position paper responding to the public consultation on proposed amendments to the Human Organs, Tissues and Cell Donation Act, the group is receptive to amendments that would extend Malta’s current framework – which allows organ donation only after brain death – to include donation after circulatory death… Read more »

Watch: Interview with deacon ahead of Sunday ordination

Filmed and edited by: Miguela Xuereb; interview: Maria Emma Buhagiar

Id-djaknu Jesmond Schembri li nhar il-Ħadd 8 ta’ Frar 2026 se jiġi ordnat qassis tal-Knisja Griega Kattolika stqarr ma’ Newsbook Malta li ħafna nies jitħawdu meta jaraw realtà bħal tiegħu. Dan għaliex ir-Rev. Schembri apparti li huwa djaknu, huwa wkoll raġel miżżewweġ, missier ta’ żewġt ulied u nannu ta’ żewġ neputijiet… Read more »

The ordination of a new priest

The Church in Malta will celebrate the ordination of a new priest on Sunday, 8th February, 2026. The Apostolic Exarch to the Greek Byzantine Catholic Church, Mgr Manuel Nin O.S.B., in the presence of Archbishop Charles Scicluna, will ordain Rev. Jesmond Schembri, deacon of the Greek Catholic Parish of Our Lady of Damascus, Valletta, to the priesthood. The ordination mass will be celebrated at the Church of St Nicholas of Myra (Tal-Erwieħ) in Valletta at 9:30am… Read more »

COMECE Presidency expresses solidarity with the people of Greenland

The Presidency of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) issued a statement on Tuesday, 3 February 2026, expressing its solidarity and spiritual closeness with Greenland and its people in the context of growing geopolitical uncertainty and ongoing discussions regarding its future. Statement

At a time marked by renewed international attention to the Arctic region and sensitive negotiations affecting Greenland’s political, social and environmental future, the COMECE Presidency, led by H.E… Read more »

Mass to mark World Day against Human Trafficking

  The Chapel of the Good Shepherd, Ħal Balzan

Human trafficking remains a hidden yet urgent reality in Malta. As of 2025, the country continues to be classified as a Tier 2 destination, with dozens of potential victims identified each year. These victims—primarily originating from Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa—are most often exploited in the construction and hospitality sectors, with a growing number trapped within massage parlours and the sex trade.

Despite increased enforcement, formal recognition for victims remains low, and many continue to suffer in silence… Read more »

Watch: Valletta Jesuit Church reopens after €5 million restoration

A great testimony of identity, faith and art

Photos and videos: Miguela Xuereb

Il-Knisja tal-Ġiżwiti fil-Belt Valletta, waħda mill-aktar ġawhar importanti tal-wirt kulturali u reliġjuż Malti, reġgħat ingħatat il-ħajja permezz ta’ xogħlijiet estensivi ta’ restawr li issa ġew fi tmiemhom. Ir-restawr se jkompli, imma tlestiet fażi importanti u issa l-knisja se tinfetaħ għall-użu pubbliku.

Ħafna nies jidħlu f’dan il-post ukoll għal quddiesa tal-gradwazzjoni u anke għal fatt li kull nhar ta’ Ħadd għadha tiġi ċċelebrata l-quddiesa bil-Latin… Read more »

Pope to religious: Even where weapons roar, you are witnesses to Jesus

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, 30th World Day for Consecrated Life

  St Peter's Basilica, the Vatican

Homily Pope Leo XIV

Dear brothers and sisters, today, on this Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the Gospel recounts how Simeon and Anna recognized and proclaimed Jesus as the Messiah in the Temple (cf. Lk 2:22-40). What unfolds before us is a meeting between two movements of love: that of God, who comes to save his people, and that of humanity, which awaits his coming with vigilant faith… Read more »