Pastoral Letters

Five blessings for our country

Pastoral Letter for Lent 2024

The Pastoral Letter by the Bishops

For this year’s Lent, we Bishops are proposing that as a country, and as Christians, we ought to reflect on the five gifts of God that Dun Karm Psaila, the national poet, reminds us of in Malta’s national anthem: sound judgement, mercy, health, unity and peace.

“Guide me in your truth”

The first gift is sound judgement: the ability to understand, recognise and decide to choose good over evil… Read more »

Pastoral Message: Sunday Mass

Pastoral Message from the Bishops of Malta and Gozo

Dear brothers and sisters,

We are celebrating the holy and solemn day in which we Christians thank God for the beautiful gift of the Eucharist, of the Body and Blood of Jesus, that is given to us for our salvation. On this cherished day, we wish to share with you the beautiful, practical and profound catechesis that His Holiness, Pope Francis, gave us on the 13th December 2017… Read more »

Let us continue to accompany our dear ones with respect and dignity

Pastoral Letter for Lent 2023

“I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). Jesus poses this question to Martha, sister to Lazarus and Mary, three of Jesus’s closest friends. The Gospel we have just heard today clearly shows that Jesus loved Martha, Mary and Lazarus very much. 

At the beginning of the Gospel, Jesus receives bad news about Lazarus’s health: “Lord, your friend is sick.”(John 11:3)… Read more »

Open letter to the members of the Parliament of Malta

A letter from the Bishops of Malta and Gozo was sent yesterday, 1st December 2022, to the members of the Parliament of Malta about the amendment proposed on the termination of pregnancy.

Dear Sir/Madam,

We wish to express our profound concern, shared by many others, over the contents of Bill no. 28 of 2022 which, if approved by Parliament as proposed, will permit abortion to take place in Malta… Read more »

Let us protect every human life with great care

Pastoral Note by the Bishops of Malta and Gozo

The Feast of the Immaculate Conception which we shall celebrate next Thursday, 8th December, is a very dear feast to us Maltese. It is a feast that gives an important message even by its very name which has such great meaning – “conception” – as it reminds us that we celebrate Mary from the moment of her conception. She is without stain from the first moment of her conception… Read more »

Welcoming the herald of mercy

Pastoral Letter for Lent 2022

The Pastoral Letter by the Bishops

“After we had reached safety, we then learned that the island was called Malta. The natives showed us unusual kindness. Since it had begun to rain and was cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed all of us around it” (Acts 28:1-2).

Every time we read these verses from Chapter 28 of the Acts of the Apostles and hear the name of Malta, our hearts become aflame and a shiver of emotion runs down our spine… Read more »

Building a society based on care and solidarity

Pastoral Letter for Lent 2021

The Pastoral Letter by the Bishops

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites us to “Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:15). He calls us to embrace the Good News and delve deeper into the essence of our faith, as Jesus himself explains: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (Jn 3:16)… Read more »

Let us welcome Pope Francis with an open heart – Pastoral Letter by the Bishops

Apostolic Journey to Malta by his Holiness Pope Francis

Dear brothers and sisters,

It is with great joy that we welcome the news that His Holiness Pope Francis will visit Malta on the 31st May 2020, the Solemnity of Pentecost.

Last January, in his meditation on the passage from the Acts of the Apostles that narrates St Paul’s shipwreck on Malta, Pope Francis had beautiful words for the Maltese people who welcomed Paul and all those on the ship… Read more »

Pastoral Letter for Pentecost Sunday 2019: The Holy Spirit is calling us to love

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  • Fifty days after Easter, after the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit on the apostles and the disciples united in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus. As narrated by St Luke in the Acts of the Apostles, this experience is described as a strong wind that filled the upper room where the disciples were gathered, and as tongues of fire that appeared on each and every one of them…

  • Read more »

Do not be afraid to take Mary home

Pastoral Letter for Lent 2019

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  • The Pastoral Letter by the Bishops

     

  • Dear Brothers and Sisters,

    We are a nation that loves the home. Rightly so, for marvellous stories are woven within its four walls: stories of delightful families, stories of great generosity; incredible stories of parents sacrificing everything for their children, particularly when a child has special needs; stories of heroism in the face of a grave illness…

  • Read more »