Although Pope Francis spoke in Italian, his message was loud and clear to those who wanted to hear it, though not all were given the chance to do so, due to selective coverage by TVM.
From the official Vatican translation, I quote the pope stating that “honesty, justice, a sense of duty and transparency are the essential pillars of a mature civil society”.
He called for the cultivation of “legality and transparency” to “enable the eradication of corruption and criminality”.
The Pope also spoke of our beautiful landscape and its ability to “alleviate difficulties”, a landscape that is under assault. None of this appeared relevant to our national broadcaster.
These are recurring themes that both I and the wider environmental movement in Malta have been speaking about for decades.
The dominating headline should not be the Labour Party’s margin but the disillusionment of the many who have been completely switched off by a political system at odds with their quality of life. It is a system which has deprived many people of hope or the will to fight.
The pope’s message rings loud and clear, more relevant than ever. It also serves as a call to action.
Surely, as he toured the country, the pope will have noticed the scenes of continuous construction, with cranes reaching up over our skylines, overshadowing church domes and heritage sites. Looking across from the walls of Valletta, a UNESCO heritage site, one beholds a view of suffocated living.
Indeed, throughout the two days of uninterrupted live transmissions, it was only as the pope was leaving Ta’ Pinu that one could see some almost uninterrupted greenery for a few seconds.
We have received a third-party external assessment, guided by conscience rather than profit or partisanship, about what ails us- Brian Decelis
This was considered to be such a highlight that the Malta Audio Visual Memories project included it into a six-minute overview of the visit.
One also notes his humanitarian comments on migrants: “Those who cross the Mediterranean in search of salvation are met with fear.” He pointed out that these people are not a “virus” against which we must be protected.
It was, therefore, not coincidental that the climax of his visit was meeting the migrants at the Ħal Far centre, led by the tireless Fr Dionysius Mintoff. It was a visit which sparked a most adverse reaction, presumably by those who call themselves Christians and go to church on Sunday.
While sceptical about whether it made sense for the pope to visit so closely after the election, I realise that the timing could not have been better.
Before the rut sets in and “continuity” is able to prevail, we have received a third-party external assessment, guided by conscience rather than profit or partisanship, about what ails us.
The answer could not have been louder or clearer.
The pope called on Malta, the heart of the Mediterranean, to continue to foster hope, acceptance of others and a yearning for peace.
However, it is clear that the state of our environment, our health and our principles are the foundations for such warmth and prosperity.
Let us not lose it all for short-term gain at the expense of both our neighbour and, eventually, ourselves.