Petards were let off, people applauded and cameras flashed like lightning as the statue of St Paul's Shipwreck was solemnly carried out of the church that bears his name in Valletta on Thursday evening.

It was a scene which festa enthusiasts thought they would not see for a second year in succession, and it showed, with men shedding tears as others shouted Magnus (the great).

The health authorities, as they did last year, had refused to issue a permit for a procession since it is a standing event, not allowed by COVID-19 rules. 

But with the COVID-19 storm having eased this year, they relented when the organisers decided instead to organise a sit-down event at the bottom of the richly-decorated St Paul Street, some 50 metres from the church, where the statue was carried and a band concert was held.   

The chairs on either side of the band were quickly taken up, and several hundred other people ended up behind police barriers nearby. 

Archbishop Charles Scicluna led a pontifical Mass at the church in the morning. The event was dominated by the formal announcement of the Pope's visit in April.