The announcement that Pope Francis is to visit Malta came last Monday at the end of Mass led by Archbishop Charles Scicluna at the collegiate church of St Paul’s Shipwreck in Valletta, on the feast of Malta’s patron saint.

Archbishop Scicluna identified what will probably be the leitmotiv of the Pontiff’s visit when he announced that the logo chosen to mark it included the words “They showed us unusual kindness”. It referred to the Acts of the Apostles’ narration of how the Maltese welcomed St Paul and the other 275 persons aboard the vessel shipwrecked off Malta nearly 2,000 years ago.

Pope Francis has made welcoming and showing solidarity with refugees a strong characteristic of his pontificate.

Only a few weeks ago, at a general audience, he heaped praise on the people of Malta for welcoming St Paul in 60 AD, quoting from the Acts of the Apostles, and for welcoming refugees in our time.

It was also to the island of Lampedusa, where thousands of refugees from Africa were landing in the hope of making it to Europe, that he travelled for the first time outside the Italian mainland after becoming Pope in 2013.

In Malta, which has received and rescued so many asylum seekers in the last three decades, Pope Francis will again convey his message of solidarity.

Unfortunately, a considerable section of Maltese society views migrants and refugees with suspicion, antagonism and even hatred, inspired by racism. Those preaching racial hatred find ready and vociferous support. ‘Integration’ has become a dirty word in a populist world fuelled by misfinformation and social media.

One sincerely hopes that Pope Francis’s visit will engender more tolerance and respect. Archbishop Scicluna said he hoped the Pope’s one-day stay would “heal wounds that have wounded our social fabric”.

These “wounds” are not just those caused by intolerance, racism and lack of solidarity, but also by the trampling of values such as honesty and integrity in business, politics and public administration.

This too would be in line with the Pope’s thinking. Only last month, he urged Christians to distinguish between good and evil by “remaining in God” rather than following the “spirit of the world”.

Failing to do so would make them prone to corruption – something “worse than sin”, he said.

Pope Francis will find a transformed Malta since previous papal visits (1990, 2001 and 2010). Society is becoming increasingly secular. Sunday Mass attendance has fallen dramatically as the Catholic religion loses its relevance with many, especially the young.

There are clear signs of ingrained disrespect taking root and money has become our God. That has come at the expense of common decency and our common environment. Political leaders have abjectly failed to lead by example when it comes to basic principles and morals.

Pope Francis is a reformer at heart, identifying more strongly with the poor and downtrodden than previous pontiffs. We are lucky to have among us a pope deemed by many a reformist and a liberal who is prepared to push the conservative boundaries often weighing down the Catholic Church.

Though he will find a Malta that is economically much better off, there are sections of our society which are underprivileged, lonely and morally desperate.

Pope Francis is assured of a warm welcome from the people of these islands, whose hospitality has long been acknowledged.

To be meaningful, that welcome has to be translated into the upholding of the values he promotes. Let’s hope his visit will also hopefully somewhat help to heal Maltese society’s wounds.