Archbishop Charles Scicluna urged the faithful to take the COVID-19 vaccine once this is available if they can to protect themselves and those around them.

In his message for Christmas, the archbishop said: “We need to co-operate with the health authorities as this is a concrete expression of love. Whoever can take the vaccine should do so, as in this way we will be protecting not only ourselves but also our brethren who due to various circumstances may not be able to take the vaccine.”

He said it is important to learn from the experience of the past few months, “by denying ourselves of so many things we cherish, we have understood their true value, such as a hug between loved ones and between friends that social distancing has deprived us of, but also the possibility of visiting our loved ones, especially the elderly”. 

The archbishop greeted families who lost a loved one as a result of the pandemic and who had to go through the harsh experience of not being able to be close to their loved ones at the last moments of their life. 

Earlier, he paid tribute to frontliners “who gave a beautiful, generous and heroic response to the pandemic that struck us without warning, a rough setback that will not easily be forgotten”.

Read his message, in Maltese and English, in the pdf links below.