Pope Benedict XVI will be visiting Malta on April 17 and 18 next year to mark the anniversary of St Paul's shipwreck in Malta 1,950 years ago.

The Pontiff will arrive in Malta the day after his 83rd birthday and will leave the day before the fifth anniversary of his election to the Catholic Church's highest office.

Archbishop Paul Cremona announced the dates during the Catechetical Congress held on Friday and yesterday with the theme 'Faith Emergency'. The news was welcomed with loud applause.

The Pope's visit follows the invitation by Maltese bishops and, more recently, by President George Abela.

The Pope will arrive in Malta in the afternoon of April 17. Soon after his arrival, he will meet the local authorities, followed by a visit to St Paul's Grotto in Rabat.

On Sunday, April 18, the Pope will celebrate Mass at the Granaries in Floriana in the morning and meet young people at the Valletta Waterfront in the evening. In a statement, the government welcomed news of the visit. No further information on the programme is available but a delegation from the Curia will be leaving Malta this afternoon for Rome to finalise the programme and discuss logistical details.

The Pope is expected to stay at the Apostolic Nunciature in Rabat, which is the official embassy of the Vatican's representative in Malta.

Since he became Pope in 2005, Benedict has made 13 apostolic visits outside Italy.

His visit to Malta would be the third visit by a Pontiff. Benedict's predecessor, John Paul II, who was elected Pope in 1978, visited the island twice over a span of 11 years.

The first three-day visit was in May 1990, while during the second, in May 2001, he beatified Dun Ġorġ Preca (who has since become a saint), Adeodata Pisani and Nazju Falzon.

Pope John Paul II had arrived in Malta on May 8, 2001, on the last stop of a pilgrimage in the footsteps of St Paul, which also took him to historic visits to Greece and Syria.