Former Labour minister Konrad Mizzi’s announcement that he has found God has inspired a weekend of memes and deep fakes.

In a lengthy Facebook post on Saturday, Mizzi announced that he would not be contesting the March 26 general election.

In the same statement, he revealed that God had become “a central part of his life”, saying this gave him peace and encouraging more people to have faith. 

The statement triggered widespread ridicule on social media, with many pointing to the former energy minister’s history of scandals.

Photo: Facebook

Some memes reflected on God’s possible judgement on Mizzi, with the use of Renaissance painter Cima da Conegliano's 1654 painting of God the Father looking down from above and declaring: "Corrupt".

Mizzi has been linked to a range of scandals from the Electrogas supply deal to the Vitals hospital deal and the Montenegro windfarm scandal. He was expelled from Labour's parliamentary group in 2020 and sat as an Independent MP.

Other memes depicted Mizzi as a venerated saint, with one image giving him the stigmata of Padre Pio and another which named him “protector against rats and mice”. 

Photo: Facebook

Others linked Mizzi’s expression of faith to the upcoming papal visit in April, with some suggesting that Mizzi might be a contender for pope now that his time in Maltese politics has come to an apparent end. 

Meanwhile, others suggested that Mizzi could perhaps belong to the more fringe Christian denominations, with caricatures showing him speaking with the voice of River of Love evangelical pastor Gordon John Manche. 

Political Facebook page Malta-A New Reality suggested that Mizzi might be inspired to practice what he is preaching. 

"Beautiful words dear Konrad. But you need to prove it, not just with words. When St Paul found God, he confessed all his wrongdoings and of those around him. We're waiting," it said. 

Meanwhile, community polling Facebook group Malta Survey asked its respondents whether they thought Mizzi should be canonised as a saint.