John Paul II's legacy to the people of Gozo

"I am deeply grateful to Bishop Cauchi... and to all of you for coming here today to be with the Pope in this magnificent Cathedral dedicated to the Assumption of Our Lady into Heaven...

"But without you - the people of God who form this local Church - without your living faith, these buildings, for all their beauty, would remain empty and lifeless."

Pope John Paul II, who was laid to rest last Friday, delivered two speeches during his first and only visit to Gozo on May 26, 1990: at the National Sanctuary of Ta' Pinu and at the Cathedral. Delving through these talks, it is possible to outline three important messages by Pope John Paul to the people of Gozo.

The first and most basic is that we live our faith consistently. While praising Gozitans for our beautiful churches, the Pope emphasised that these buildings would be meaningless without a living faith.

The strong religious traditions, the large number of priests and religious, the many Catholic initiatives in the fields of education and charity, as well as the growing lay involvement in diocesan and parish life, are praiseworthy.

However, this requires that our belief be reflected in our personal lives, within the family, and at the places of work and entertainment.

The Pope's second legacy is an invitation for us all to be evangelisers as a living faith, he reiterated, requires evangelisation. "What does evangelisation entail?" he asked.

"In Gozo the task is not so much to bring the Gospel to the people who have never heard of it, as to live the Gospel ever more perfectly and fully, so that the weak, the alienated, and the sceptical may not turn away from Christ but embrace him and his gift of salvation."

The experience of intimate fellowship among Church members "only acquires its full meaning when it becomes a witness, when it evokes admiration and conversion, and when it becomes the preaching and proclamation of the Good News".

The Pope's third appeal was to continue to strengthen family life. "In the past, Malta's strong family life has provided a solid basis for the stability and harmonious development of society.

"In the present age, can the families of Malta and Gozo continue to meet this urgent challenge? Like many societies, yours is not immune to a kind of spiritual disorientation caused by rapid social changes and the attraction of value systems and modes of behaviour that run counter to the deepest convictions, which have moulded your identity as a people," the Pope said.

"I ask all of you to pray with me for Malta's families will be the crucible in which your society will forge a renewed commitment to the Gospel values that are its most precious inheritance from the past!" the Holy Father added.

The clergy and people of Gozo yesterday evening met at the Cathedral to pray with Bishop Nikol Cauchi for the repose of the Pope. Through many ways, we have joined the world to mourn this great holy man.

For our mourning and sorrow to be sincere, we are to cherish the legacy he left to us during his Gozo visit 15 years ago.

Are the parish priests and the persons primarily responsible for evangelisation fulfilling their tasks? Or have they to share their time with other burdens as lecturers at University, headmasters, teachers in secondary schools, running private mini-businesses, and hiving off responsibility in the organisation of certain parish activities as they would entail too much work?

The sad saga about the Good Friday processions that unfolded in Victoria, during the fortnight before Holy Week, is alas proof that the intimate friendship among the Christians of Gozo is still a distant desideratum.

Let us hope that a rejuvenated papacy will also bring the necessary changes to the local Church leadership and a direly needed renewal in Gozo's pastoral life.