Malta 'holds special place in my heart' - Pope

Visibly moved, President Eddie Fenech Adami yesterday kissed the ring of Pope Benedict XVI as flashing cameras of international press agencies broke the silence in the Vatican's regal Sala del Tronetto.

"This is an emotional moment for me," were Dr Fenech Adami's first words to the Pope yesterday, as he shared the excitement and news of the birth of his tenth grandchild, Luigi, the previous day.

Embracing him, the Pope, dressed in a red velvet cape with ermine fur trimming and red shoes, said Malta "holds a special place in my heart".

Dr Fenech Adami started and ended his Presidency with a visit to the Vatican and he felt blessed that this Pope acceded to his request for a private audience to mark his last official visit before he steps down on April 4.

"The frequency of private audiences with this Pope has been limited, and I appreciate the gesture that he has accepted to meet me and my family before I end my term," Dr Fenech Adami told the press in St Peter's Square, after his meeting with the Pontiff.

Dr Fenech Adami said he had renewed the invitation to the Pope to visit Malta and said the Maltese eagerly awaited his arrival, if and when this materialised.

"The Pope expressed his wish for the Maltese to remain close the values of Christianity. He is abreast of Malta's participation in the different international spheres," he added.

The official visit started just before 11 a.m., when the wheels of the Presidential carcade crunched over the cobble-stoned courtyard of San Damaso, where Dr Fenech Adami was greeted by Archbishop James Harvey, prefect of the Pontifical household.

Walking past the watchful eyes of the Swiss guards, looking regal in their fine jester-like uniforms and metal helmets decorated with red ostrich-feather plumes, Dr Fenech Adami was escorted through Raphael's Loggia.

The sun's bright rays filtered through the muslin curtains lighting up the awe-inspiring frescoes by Baroque Italian painter Antonio Pomarancio, which decorate every inch of the ceiling and walls in the loggia.

The Vatican's gendarmes solemnly led the Maltese delegation from one beautiful hall to another, all containing antique riches, bronze statues or Raphael tapestries, until they reached the private library, where Dr Fenech Adami had a private 12-minute audience with the Pope.

At 11.20 a.m. a bell rang, signalling the end of his meeting and the time for the Pope to receive the Maltese delegation, in the presence of Mgr Harvey's Gozitan deputy, Mgr Alfred Xuereb.

Dr Fenech Adami then presented the Pontiff with a silver reproduction of Caravaggio's painting, the St Jerome - handcrafted by Alex Coster - which has its place of honour at St John's Co-Cathedral in Valletta. Pope Benedict XVI reciprocated by giving him a pontifical gold medal.

It was then the turn of the President's family to be ushered into the library. Dr Fenech Adami beamed proudly as he introduced his children and eight grandchildren to the Pope, who lifted the solemn mood with their sweet, whispered chattering.

The President has met numerous Popes throughout his life, and he holds the Holy See in high esteem for its intimate links with Christianity. His first visit to the Vatican was back in 1956 when he met Pope Pius XII as an undergradute during a congress.

On his honeymoon he met Pope John XXIII, and later had an audience with Pope Paul VI just before he died in 1978. Throughout the years, he met with Pope John Paul II several times, both in Rome and in Malta.

"Pope John Paul II was an extraordinary man by any standards; a holy man. I last met Pope Benedict during the canonisation of Dun Ġorġ. He is a man with profound thoughts and is humble, and precise, weighing every word he says - his holiness is transparent," he said.

Dr Fenech Adami ended his visit by visiting the tomb of Pope John Paul II at the Vatican's grottos and was later given a private tour of the Sistine Chapel. He returns to Malta today.