President George Abela has congratulated Pope Francis on his election, in his name and on behalf of the government and people of Malta.

"The news of Your Holiness' election as leader of the Catholic Church was received by the Maltese Catholic population with great joy. The name chosen by Your Holiness was welcomed by the faithful of the Maltese Islands as it evokes a sense of simplicity, compassion, tolerance and human solidarity, characteristics associated with St Francis of Assisi that the modern world is so much in need of.

"While I ask the blessing of Your Holiness, I express the sentiments of my highest consideration," Dr Abela wrote.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.