In St Paul's footsteps

Last week we have had in Malta a unique event - the meeting of around 1,000 diocesan and religious priests from all around the world who convened in Malta for the sixth congress of its kind this year to address the theme "Priests for the formation of Saints for the new Millennium".

This is the very first time that such a convention has taken place in Malta following discussions held earlier in the year to examine logistics as well as the kind of support Government could give to such an event in Malta.

I particularly remember the meetings held last March with Mgr Liberio Andreatta, president of the Opera Romana Pellegrinaggi in Rome, who together with Mgr Charles G. Vella, and Dr Massimo Caponetti, external relations director of the Opera Romana, were in Malta to see to the final details that needed to be co-ordinated to ensure that this congress takes place in Malta.

I had welcomed Mgr Andreatta's enthusiasm to ensure that not only will the congress take place in Malta but also that it will be a fitting and profound experience for all the clergy taking part.

The previous meetings of this congregation had taken place in Lourdes, Fatima, the Ivory Coast in Mexico, Jerusalem and Rome. The fact that Malta was being chosen for the sixth event meant that the organisers were recognising the potential of our country as a site for religious tourism.

Malta, visited twice by the Holy Father in the last 14 years, is the island that was converted to Christianity by St Paul nearly 2,000 years ago. That rich legacy lives on and we have one of the highest concentrations of churches and other places of worship that could be found anywhere in the world.

When the Prefect of the Congregation who leads the meeting, Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos (from Colombia) had visited our country four years ago, he was very impressed by the faith and the life of the Church in Malta and Gozo. In Gozo he had conducted the feast of the Sacred Heart at Fontana.

In his address at the Mediterranean Conference Centre last Tuesday, Cardinal Hoyos said that he had told the Pope that in no other institution were there so many representatives from different countries.

When Mgr Andreatta came over to make the final arrangements, together we had called upon Archbishop Mercieca, and on Dr Fenech Adami, then Prime Minister, at his office in Castille. Mgr Andreatta knew when he left Malta that he could count on the government's wholehearted support to hold the event and Malta Tourism Authority officials were roped in not only to offer logistical help but also to contribute in part towards the heavy expense involved in holding a meeting of this magnitude.

I could add that an agreement in principle to hold the convention in Malta had been reached during an earlier visit by Mgr Andreatta when we had an in-depth meeting at my office. It was made clear from that first meeting that the initiative would be given our total backing.

It was agreed that this was a unique opportunity for Malta to make itself known for its rich religious heritage that forms an integral part of our culture. In the recent restructuring report on the MTA, cultural and religious tourism features as one of the segments that needs to be given particular attention within an organisation that will focus more clearly on our country's unique selling points and relevant travel trends which when given the attention that they deserve will strongly enhance the value added component of our national product.

On the occasion of World Tourism Day a month ago, the Secretariat of Religious Tourism in Malta chose St Paul's Grotto in Rabat to launch this year's message by His Holiness issued for that day. In his message, the Pope pointed out that tourism improved relationships between individuals and peoples as when they were cordial, respectful and based on solidarity they constituted an open door to peace and harmonious co-existence.

The Pontiff added: "Indeed, much of the violence that humanity suffers in our times is rooted in misunderstanding as well as in the rejection of the values and identity of foreign cultures." Referring to the theme of the synergies that can be created between sports and tourism, Pope John Paul II said that St Paul proposed the image of the athlete to the Christians of Corinth to illustrate Christian life as well as an example of effort and constancy.

In Malta St Paul's Grotto is traditionally the place used by the shipwrecked Paul and it was religiously the cradle and foundation stone of Christianity in Malta. St Paul in Malta was free to preach, teach and administer the sacraments. The first Christian community was formed by him in that grotto that was soon converted to a church with an upper church to its left.

In 1600 a Spanish hermit, Juan Benegas de Cordova, a close friend of Pope Paul V, lived in the grotto and developed the place into a Pauline sanctuary and a centre of pilgrims on international lines.

The Knights of St John took over the grotto, severed from the parish church under their jurisdiction, and promoted it by architectural structures, sculpture works, paintings and silverware. The Knights also created a body of resident chaplains sanctifying the place with Masses, recitation of the divine office and assisting pilgrims. Their residence was attached to the grotto and the place was a venue of important visitors of the Order.

During Pope John Paul II's first visit to Malta in 1990, he visited and prayed in the grotto, encouraging devotion to St Paul.

Pilgrim travel is still an important form of tourism and in giving more importance to this segment, it would make much sense to encourage specialised tours that follow in the footsteps of St Paul - be it through visiting the grotto, seeing the islands dedicated to St Paul, understanding the significance of the church dedicated to St Publius in Floriana, seeking the link between our religious legacy and our rich architectural and artistic heritage.

This heritage can be seen in such masterpieces as St John's Co-Cathedral, by appreciating the multitude of churches and chapels all over the island, as well as by understanding how our faith is manifested through colourful pageantry as seen in the Good Friday processions and in the joyful festa nights that dominate the summer months and beyond.

Each year there are over 300 band performances at parish feasts. Over Lm600,000 are spent annually in the organisation of our festas which bring together hundreds of volunteers who make them happen through their utter dedication, energy and pooling of resources.

This is one of Malta's unique characteristics. It is part of our brand that comes naturally to us - without having to indulge in any artificial make believe. The more we become cognisant of and appreciate our own competitive advantages, the more we can communicate what the Malta brand is all about when we come in contact with the thousands of visitors who come over to our shores every year.

As Archbishop Mercieca pointed out during the solemn Mass held last Monday on the eve of the convention's opening at the Mediterranean Conference Centre, the historic former hospital of the Knights, "the seed of evangelisation planted by Paul had proved fruitful. Our people's attachment to our religious heritage remains. It is sustained by our people's strong desire to remain faithful to the precious legacy that goes back to St Paul."

Cardinal Hoyos praised the people of Malta who "have firmly preserved the integrity of the faith of your fathers, not without problems in a culture nullified by secularism and a sad ethical and existential relativism."

To have a thousand priests, including 15 cardinals, from 283 dioceses in 81 countries, taking part in an international congress held for the first time ever in our country is welcome news for all. It hasn't just happened and seeing it come to life has made all the effort required to secure the event well worth our while.

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