I would like to comment on John Micallef, my friend and author of ‘Roamer’s Column’ in The Sunday Times for close to 40 years, who passed away on January 30.

As a weekly columnist, John always had a week to ponder on what he was going to write. It is different from being a journalist who has to write without giving it much thought because of time and space constraints, and also to come out first with the news. Journalists should write with responsibility but they do not always do so. The desperate race against time endangers the quality of our media in general.

Having this advantage of being a columnist, John gradually gained the respect of those who admired his way of reasoning and of those who disagreed with him, because everyone accepted that his comments were the fruit of much thought, reflection and research. With time, he built a name for him-self, even if an anonymous name.

John didn’t write because he was paid to. He wrote what he believed to be the truth, knowing that thousands were reading what he wrote. He felt the responsibility to enlighten them. He realised that in time his writing was becoming even more a point of reference to people in a position of leadership, whether in politics, in business, in the social movements, and, why not, in the Church.

When the subject discussed had a religious background he did his best to enlighten public opinion both in and out of the Church. Because like G.K. Chesterton, John believed “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, rather it was found to be difficult and as such not tried”.

Consequently, he gave witness that it is more secure to search for the truth departing from the Gospel and the Church´s interpretation of it.

John, thanks for your dedication to your country and to your Church.