VALETTA, Malta, May 8, 01 (CWNews.com) - Pope John Paul II arrived on Malta on Tuesday afternoon, beginning the last stop of his latest voyage.
The Holy Father was greeted by Malta's President Guido De Marco and Archbishop Joseph Mercieca. In his own remarks at the welcoming ceremony, the Pope reminded his audience that he was continuing his pilgrimage in the footsteps of St. Paul, who was shipwrecked on the island.
Unlike the Pope's previous stops in Greece and Syria, Malta has an unbroken history of Catholic cultural dominance. The island nation boasts a population of about 380,000, of whom 98 percent are baptized Catholics. About 65 percent of the population attends Mass each Sunday. The island is linked historically to the famed Catholic equestrian order the Knights of Malta, who ruled the island in the 16th through 18th centuries but are now based in Rome.
Although he is showing the signs of physical fatigue from his latest international trip, Pope John Paul II has no plans to curtail his travel schedule, his spokesman has revealed.
Joaquin Navarro-Valls, the head of the Vatican press office, told reporters in Malta that the Holy Father is pleased with the results of his visits to Greece and Syria. He observed that the Pope is already scheduled to visit Ukraine in June, and a September trip to Armenia is now likely.
"The Pope has no intention of stopping his trips," Navarro-Valls said. "He will not stop his travels until God calls him home."
Catholic World News Service - Vatican Update
8. mai 2001