This past weekend I had the joy of visiting Malta for the nineteen hundred and fiftieth anniversary of Saint Paul’s shipwreck and his three-month sojourn there. I am deeply grateful to the civil and church authorities, and to all who received me so warmly. At the Grotto of Saint Paul I thanked God for the abundant fruits of faith, holiness and missionary zeal which the preaching of the Apostle has brought forth on those islands. The Christian vision, so deeply rooted in Maltese life and culture, continues to provide inspiration for meeting the great social and moral challenges of the present time. The vitality of the faith in Malta was evident in the joyful celebration of Mass before the Church of Saint Publius. As a natural crossroads, Malta has never been isolated or self-enclosed, nor has the Maltese cross, which I saw waving everywhere, ever lost its authentic meaning as a sign of love and reconciliation. The challenge of passing on the perennial wisdom and truth of the Gospel belongs in a particular way to the younger generation. At the port of Valletta, I challenged Malta’s young people to look to Saint Paul’s spiritual journey as a model for their own, to let their lives be changed by an encounter with the Risen Christ, and to trust that God’s loving plan is more powerful than any storm or shipwreck along the way.
I welcome the newly-ordained deacons from the Pontifical Scots College, together with their family members and friends. Upon all the English-speaking visitors present at today’s Audience, especially those from Finland, Norway, Sweden, Indonesia, the Philippines, Canada and the United States, I invoke the joy and peace of the Risen Lord.