Press Releases

18/01/2019

As of today, Friday, 18th January 2019, Christians around the world are encouraged to unite to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which ends on Friday, 25th January 2019. During this week, members of different Christian Churches meet for ecumenical prayer and this year’s theme is “Justice, and only justice, you shall pursue” (Deut. 16:20).

On this occasion, this Friday at 6:30 p.m., an ecumenical service will be celebrated at the parish church of St Paul Shipwreck in Valletta…

Secretariat for Catholic Education statement in reply to the UPE

11/01/2019

With reference to the latest comments by UPE, the Secretariat for Catholic Education would like to inform the Union that Church schools, like State schools, cover any damages caused by students to the educators’ laptops.

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11/01/2019

In its submission in the consultation exercise related to Malta’s Sustainable Development Vision for 2050 which was carried out last November, the Interdiocesan Environment Commission (KA) makes the following points:
1. As to responsibility at ministerial level, various ministries tend to be too focused on their own remit to respond to sustainability issues. Moreover, housing sustainable development within the Ministry for the Environment, Sustainable Development and Climate Change tends to reinforce the misconception that sustainable development deals with ‘environmental stuff’…

09/01/2019

The Bishops of Malta and Gozo express their appreciation to the Government of Malta, the European Commission and the eight European countries, for the solidarity finally shown with the 49 migrants, most of which were stranded at sea for 18 days onboard two NGO rescue vessels. We are also grateful to all the organisations that have promoted concrete solidarity with the people involved…

08/01/2019

It’s been 137 years since Friedrich Nietzsche has published his book The Gay Science or The Joyful Wisdom wherein he first declared that “God is Dead”, an idea which he repeated a few years later in his philosophical novel Thus Spoke Zarathustra. How could Nietzsche declare the death of someone in whose existence he never believed? …

08/01/2019

This Friday, 11th January 2019, the restoration and conservation work which was carried out on three historic paintings at the Archbishop’s Curia will be inaugrated. The three eighteenth-century paintings portray the images of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of the Rosary with Dominican saints, and the Eternal Father.

Dr Theresa Vella, an art historian, will give a critical appreciation of the paintings, while the painting conservators, Valentina Lupo and Maria Grazia Zenzani of Atelier del Restauro, will give a presentation of the restoration work done during the past year…

07/01/2019

Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna has appointed Mr Roberto Buontempo as property manager designate with effect from today, 7th January 2019, reporting to the Administrative Secretary, Mr Michael Pace Ross. Mr Buontempo will formally take over from the outgoing property manager, Mr Ray Bonnici, 66, following a hand-over period.

Mr Buontempo occupied top management positions within the private sector and also held the post of director on a number of boards, both in Malta and overseas. He was also involved in various projects with one of the leading property developers on the island. A graduate in management and business administration, he is also a Chartered Manager and holds professional fellowships with the Chartered Management Institute, the Institute of Supply Chain Management and the Royal Society of Arts. For a number of years, he was a council member of the Malta Society for the encouragement of the Arts, Manufacturers and Commerce. Mr Buontempo is also the Lieutenant of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, Lieutenancy of Malta…

05/01/2019

This morning (Saturday, 5 January 2019), Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna visited MV Lifeline, a vessel berthed in the Grand Harbour, where he appealed once again for Europe to act without further delay to save our brothers and sisters stranded out at sea for days. During his meeting with crew members, the Archbishop mentioned the appeals he made together with bishops Mgr Mario Grech and Mgr Joseph Galea-Curmi, for Europe to show compassion and concrete solidarity with the most vulnerable. The Archbishop said that while he acknowledges that the phenomenon of immigration required solutions on a European level, it was a great injustice that these brothers and sisters became victims of the negotiations between European leaders…

03/01/2019

03/01/2019

Four seminarians who are currently in their fifth year of studies at the Archbishop’s Seminary will ask Archbishop Charles J. Scicluna to accept them officially as candidates for the Ordination to the Diaconate and the Priesthood. This celebration will take place on Sunday 6th January 2019, during Epiphany Mass at St John’s Co‑Cathedral, Valletta, at 9:15 a.m.

Roderick Baldacchino and Jean‑Claude Schembri from St Catherine’s Parish, Żejtun, Joshua Cortis from St Gaetan Parish, Ħamrun, and Tony Pace from the Conversion of Saint Paul Parish, Ħal Safi, will publicly manifest their will to offer themselves to the Church to serve in the ministerial priesthood…