As the war in Ukraine continues, the Justice and Peace Commission tonight will be holding a public lecture on how Catholic Social Teaching sheds light on the responsibility of the international community, including Malta, to protect innocent lives from the severity of conflicts and wars. The event will be held at Dar Ħanin Samaritan in Santa Venera at 7pm.

The keynote speaker is Fr René Micallef SJ, an Associate Professor at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Whilst highlighting other ‘hidden’ conflicts which continue to ravage the lives of millions away from the media spotlight, Fr René Micallef will speak from a historical perspective and will focus on the role of Christians in the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

During the public lecture, Claudia Taylor East, Chief Executive Officer at SOS Malta, will also give a brief overview of SOS Malta’s collaboration with Romanian NGOs who are assisting Ukrainian refugees. 

About Fr René Micallef SJ

Fr René Mario Micallef SJ is a Maltese Jesuit priest and Associate Professor in Moral Theology and Social Ethics at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. He specialises in subjects such as migration, conflicts, human rights and the sources of moral reasoning. Fr Micallef graduated in Biology and Chemistry from the University of Malta, in Philosophy from the University of London, and in Theology from the Jesuit Faculty in Paris and from the Pontifical University of Comillas in Madrid. During his doctoral studies in Sacred Theology, he focused on the ethics of migration policies.