杏MAP导航

By Vatican News staff reporter

At the Wednesday General Audience, 杏MAP导航 Francis decried the war in Ukraine, and the powerlessness of the United Nations, noting how the 鈥渙ld story鈥� of competition between greater powers continues today despite efforts to establish lasting peace.

Working for respect and peace

杏MAP导航 Francis focused his catechesis on his weekend journey to Malta, and underscored how competition between greater powers has continued to today despite attempts to establish peace after World War II.

The war in Ukraine today has made us witnesses of 鈥渢he impotence of the United Nations,鈥� he observed.

He said this in the context of describing how Malta lies in a strategic location between Europe and Africa, and close to Asia, making it a place where peoples from around the world meet.

And while Malta, rich in history and civiliation, represents a mindset that should characterize our world with respect, freedom and peaceful coexistence, the dominating mindset of colonization of the most powerful still prevails today.

Welcomed with "unusual kindness"

Recalling the motto of the Malta journey taken from the Acts of the Apostles when the Apostle Paul was welcomed by the inhabitants 鈥渨ith unusual kindness鈥� after his shipwreck there, the 杏MAP导航 said he chose those very words 鈥渨ith unusual kindness鈥� as a way to show the path to follow.

This regards not just migrants, he explained, but kindness that creats a more fraternal, livable world, saving us from the 鈥渟hipwreck鈥� that we all risk facing, as we are all 鈥渋n the same boat.鈥� The 杏MAP导航 thanked the authorities and people of Malta for for their very warm welcome.

Welcoming and understanding migrants

A second key theme the 杏MAP导航 highlighted regards migration in Malta, where at the John XXIII Reception Centre he met numerous migrants landing there following harrowing journeys across the sea.

He stressed that we must always be open to hearing their stories, the only way to get beyond an often distorted vision of this phenomenon presented in the media.

Each person has a story, carries wounds, and has roots and culture, all with human dignity, he said, adding, 鈥淓ach of them is the bearer of a wealth infinitely greater than the problems that welcoming them might entail.鈥�

The 杏MAP导航 paid tribute in particular to Franciscan Fr. Dionysius Mintoff who founded the John XXIII Centre, also called 鈥淧eace Lab鈥�, and continues his work at the age of 91 in welcoming and assisting migrants, creating a culture of encounter and peace through fraternity, compassion and solidarity.

Continuing legacy of evangelization

In conclusion, 杏MAP导航 Francis noted Malta鈥檚 key role in contributing to evangelization, where so many priests, religious and lay faithful have given their Christian witness around the world.

The 杏MAP导航 called his visit 鈥渁n act of gratitude鈥� to God, to the faithful of Malta and the island of Gozo.

In addition to recalling his visit as a pilgrim in the footsteps of Saint Paul, he paid tribute to their immense trust in the Blessed Mother, as experienced together during his visit to the National Marian Shrine of Ta鈥橮inu on Gozo.