Maltese organisation receives Church recognition

The Institute for World Evangelisation has become the first Maltese lay organisation to be given the status of "an international association of Christ's faithful with Pontifical Right" by the highest Church authorities.

Cardinal Francis Stafford, the president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, consigned the decree of recognition to the international directors of the Institute, Anna and Mario Cappello.

Representatives from 14 countries and five continents were present at the Pontifical Council for the Laity at the Vatican on Monday on the occasion of the consignment of the decree and the approval of the statutes of the world-wide Catholic missionary community.

The Institute for World Evangelisation (ICPE) Mission was set up in Malta in 1985 as a missionary branch of a local Catholic charismatic community called "Glory of God International Covenant Community".

The apostolate of the mission is directed towards the formation of the laity in their call to holiness and mission. This is accomplished through various schools, retreats, courses, living-in experiences as well as through practical missionary experiences.

Explaining the meaning of the Church's recognition, Cardinal Stafford said: "The lay faithful are confirmed by the Holy See in their right to associate in order to promote a more perfect Christian life and to develop evangelising activities throughout the whole world".

Anna and Mario Cappello, live in Rome from where they coordinate different missionary projects being run in many countries on all continents.

"We receive this recognition as a blessing from the Lord and as confirmation of our desire to serve Him and the Church," Mr Cappello said.

"Our prayer is that we may become quality disciples so as to be quality apostles, credible witnesses of the Good News," his wife Anna added.

The ICPE is very active in Malta. Last year it distributed tens of thousands of videos of the life of Jesus according to St Luke. The video called Gesu' was dubbed in Maltese and distributed to most houses in Malta.

The institute is currently distributing thousands of copies of a full coloured magazine printed on glossy paper which features in a very modern way the gospel according to St Luke. The Ghana Foundation is a Maltese project of ICPE and its objective is to set up a small hospital in Ghana.

Present for the ceremony were also Bishop Stanislau Rylko, Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Laity, and other Vatican officials from the Congregation for Doctrine and Faith and Vatican Supreme Tribunal.