Flotilla escorts Pope's catamaran across Grand Harbour
A flotilla of nearly 100 small boats escorted Pope Benedict as he crossed Grand Harbour on a catamaran this afternoon.
Fog horns blared and historic cannons were fired by re-enactors at the Upper Barrakka as the catamaran made its way slowly from Kalkara to the Valletta Waterfront.
The scene was reminiscent, although smaller and more orderly, than the welcome given to Pope John Paul II in 1989 when he sailed into Grand Harbour after returning from Gozo.
Pope Benedict spent most of the trip sitting on a white chair in front of the bridge, chatting to a group of 10 young people who sat on the deck around him.
Earlier, he had been given a rousing welcome by the people of Kalkara, who waved papal flags as two bands played.
The catamaran followed an AFM patrol boat out of Kalkara Creek, with regatta boats on either side.
They were joined by a large number of other boats as they rounded Fort St Angelo, forming a long trail on the fairway as the catamaran headed for the waterfront.
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Sarah Mallia
Apr 23rd 2010, 20:22
Ma nistax nemmen kif tridu tikkritikaw fuq xi haga daqshekk vojta. Jien kont wahda minn dawk iz-zghazagh fuq il-Katamaran u kif kien diga spjegat intghazilna ghaliex ahna naghmlu xoghol volontarju u naghtu sehem kbir fil-parrocci kif ukoll qed naghmlu kors ta'preparazzjoni ghal-WYD li gej. Xejjirna ghax qalulna l-organizzaturi u imxejna kif riedu huma.
MT Caruana
Apr 20th 2010, 16:13
@lawrence
Naqbel mieghek 100%,
M.Attard
Apr 20th 2010, 01:06
Sur Cuschieri, just to note li jien ma rrid inxerred l-ebda mibieghda... jien kburi li kristjan u nemmen f Gesu u kburi u meta nista immur quddies...
biss jiddispjacini nghid li din mhux ugwaljanza... u biex ir-religjon nisranija timxi l-quddiem u tirriforma ruha dan li trid taghmel... li tibda tinkludi aktar nies li huma mwarrba mis-socjeta...
Kif aghmel Gesu Kristu stess wara kollox, madwaru ma gabarx l-aktar nies gholjin u ta' high status, habib... minn San Pietru is-Sajjied sa San Pawl innifsu (il-midinb)...
Qed nghid hekk minghajr ma nnehhi mir-rispett lil dawk kollha li diga minn qalbhom taw kollox biex dan kien success... biss dawn l affarijeit ma jsirux biex nidru
nispera li fhimt il punt tieghi u ma tiggudikax lili bhala persuna li minix nisrani u li qed inxerred il mibieghda !!!
M Cuschieri
Apr 20th 2010, 19:20
Habib, niehu pjacir nisimghek tghid li inti Kristjan ferventi u ta' fidi soda. Ghaliex tidher li mhix ugwaljanza, mal-morda ltaqa' l-Papa, mal-allegati vittmi t'abbuz iltaqa' wkoll, u ghall-okkazjoni tal-laqgha tieghu maz-zghazagh intghazlu 10 miz-zghazagh minn diversi parrocci madwar malta u ghawdex li mis-sena l-ohra bdew kors ta formazzjoni fil-youth leadership, u li finalment ser iwassal biex is-sena d-diehla, jitilghu bhala numru sabih ghal world youth day gewwa Madrid, u wara l-esperjenza tal-World youth day, dawn l-istess zghazagh iridu jroddu kull ma tghallmu waqt dan il-kors li diga semmejt, f'forma ta xoghol maz-zghazagh stess fi hdan parrocci u ghaqdiet religjuzi taz-zghazagh.
M. Attard
Apr 20th 2010, 20:56
onestament nahseb li il punt tieghi ma fhimtux...
Jien ma kkritikajtx il papa. Anzi onestament nemmen li kienet migja ta success li vera aghmlet gid u biddlet diversi hsibijiet fuq dan il partikolari... specjalment fil bicca xoghol li ghamel wara il quddies ... kien gest tal genn
Lil dawn iz-zghazagh minn qalbi nawguralhom li jmexxu il kelma b success, u li vera jidhlu fejn verament il-knisja u iz-zghazagh ghandhom bsonn! j alla minn dawn ikun hawn aktar..
lawrence
Apr 19th 2010, 14:49
All I wish to say is that made the difference in me , it was the moment that he listened to those victims and he took all the blame and gave forgiveness in the name of the whole church , that makes him a leader to follow that made pope Jean Paul also same when he took his killer and said that he forgive him . all Maltese do take note of these issues and learn .
Grazzi special ghall president George
A Fenech
Apr 18th 2010, 20:09
We were bombarded by all sorts of information re the Holy Pope's visit to Malta - including some pretty useless information. And yet, i failed to spot information related to how one could possibly be chosen to accompany Holy Pope Benedict on deck while crossing Grand Harbour. Or was it free for all? Seems some 'young people' are more equal than other. Well done organisers !!
M. Attard
Apr 18th 2010, 18:56
u min kienu dawn iz zghazagh li hadu gost jxejru lil poplu Malti u jitkellmu mal-papa?
single mothers?
persuni b dizabilita?
qieghdin fil-programm ta droga?
immigranti irregolari?
forsi ghandhom xi dubji fuq ir-religjoni taghna?
xi kriteriji intuzaw biex intghazlu ?
M Cuschieri
Apr 19th 2010, 19:51
Sur Attard dawk iz-zghazagh li kienu qeghdin fuq il-catamaran mal-QT il-Papa, huma zghazagh li bhalissa qeghdin jahdmu biex ikunu zghazagh ta ezempju nisrani ghal-zghazagh ohra. Huwa fatt ukoll li iz-zghazagh taw sehemhom fil-preparazzjonijiet tal-migja tal-Papa tul dawn l-ahhar sitt xhur, tkunx inti fost il-hafna li xxerdu din il-mibgheda u dell ikrah kemm fuq iz-zghazagh kif ukoll fuq il-knisja, u mbaghad wara kollox jekk inti nisrani, l-ghalmu tieghek ma taqdihx, ghax ma tghamel ebda gid ghalik wisq inqas ghaz-zghazagh u l-insara prattikanti!
M. J. Mallia
Apr 18th 2010, 17:59
Somebody should have told them - since it didn't seem to cross their minds - that they should not have been waving while on the catamaran. The people on the shore were waving at the pope, after all, not at them.