Youths welcome new Archbishop

What a truly wonderful experience it was when yesterday week hundreds of young people of all ages and from all parts of Malta thronged St Julian's parish church to meet our new Archbishop, Mgr Paul Cremona.

He arrived just before 9 p.m. and was received with thunderous applause and shouts of "Pawlu! Pawlu!" from everyone present while they waved different coloured bandanas and tried to get a better view of him.

He walked slowly down the aisle waving, smiling and shaking as many hands as possible. He was then given a beautiful monstrance as a present, which he duly held up for everyone to see.

Then he sat for more than an hour while a programme of music and dance was put on. Wearing a yellow bandana round his neck, he smiled and clapped with everyone present while first Fr Karm, who is very popular, especially among youngsters, sang two of his lovely songs.

Voices, of which I form part and which is why I was lucky enough to be there, performed next and were followed by the Youth for Jesus band and dancers. Perhaps not quite the sort of music Mgr Cremona is used to but he really looked as if he was enjoying himself, with that lovely and charismatic smile that reaches his eyes and makes them twinkle.

After that he patiently answered each and every question that was asked and even asked those present, who perhaps say that Mass has become "boring" to help make it less "boring" because without their help nothing can be done.

I think that we truly have been blessed with the choice of Archbishop and I honestly feel that he really will be "building bridges" as he said he wants to do.

Ad multos annos and may God bless him.