We welcomed Pope Francis with a warm heart. His loving presence in Malta was surely the first important message to us all. He radiated compassion, kindness and joy wherever he went, even though at times he had to struggle to walk because of leg pain.

He also had some important words to share with us. I would like to focus on five key takeaways from his address at the Presidential Palace.

Fostering unity and peace. Unity and peace are gifts that the Maltese implore from God in the national anthem: “Strengthen unity and peace among the Maltese people.” This reminds us of the importance of working together, of preferring cohesion to division, and of enhancing the shared roots and values that have forged Maltese society in its uniqueness.

Struggling against corruption and illegality. Honesty, justice, a sense of duty and transparency are essential pillars of a mature civil society. Our commitment to eliminate illegality and corruption should be strong, like the north wind that sweeps our coasts. Cultivating legality and transparency enables corruption and criminality to be eradicated.

Honesty, justice, a sense of duty and transparency are essential pillars of a mature civil society

Safeguarding the environment. Our European home is at the forefront of efforts to protect our larger home that is God’s creation. The environment in which we live is a gift. It must be kept safe from rapacious greed, avarice and construction speculation, which compromises not only the landscape but Malta’s future.

Embracing and protecting life. The basis of all solid growth is respect for the life and dignity of every man and woman. We are called to defend life from its beginning to its natural end, but also to protect it at every moment from being cast aside and deprived of care and concern. Special attention should be given to the rightful dignity of workers, the elderly and sick, young people who risk squandering all the good they have within them by following mirages that leave their life empty. These are the fruits of radical consumerism, indifference to others’ needs, and the scourge of drugs, which suppresses freedom and creates dependence.

Welcoming people in search of hope. We should help one another not to view migrants as a threat. Other people are not a virus we need to be protected from, but people to be accepted. The migration phenomenon brings with it the burden of past injustice, exploitation, climatic changes and tragic conflicts, whose effects are now making themselves felt. One should not adopt an anachronistic isolationism – it will not produce prosperity and integration. The growing migration emergency calls for a broad-based and shared response. Civilised countries cannot approve, for their own interest, sordid agreements with criminals who enslave human beings. The Mediterranean needs co-responsibility on the part of Europe, in order to become a new theatre of solidarity, not the harbinger of a tragic shipwreck of civilisation.

This Easter, as we celebrate Christ’s resurrection, the victory of life and love, let us reflect on Pope Francis’ wise words. May they sink deep into our hearts.

j.galea.curmi@maltadiocese.org