The papal bull Singulari Amore, which established a separate diocese for Gozo and Comino in 1864, is the main attraction at an exhibition to mark its first 150 years. The exhibition is open until Friday at the Gozo Ministry exhibition hall, Victoria.
A number of exhibits are related to Pope Pius IX. These include a ceremonial fabric shoe embroidered with his coat of arms donated to the Cathedral Museum by the Bishop of Senigallia, the Pope’s birthplace, and a hiterto little-known bust of the Pope from the parish of St George.
Also exhibited are a set of large portraits of the past seven bishops of Gozo and seven gold embroidered mitres used by these bishops, loaned by the Bishop’s Chancery and the Cathedral Museum.
The bishops’ main achievements are described through a number of original documents on loan from the Episcopal Archives of Gozo, the National Archives, and other ecclesiastical entities.
Another section is dedicated to the work of the diocese in the social field through a number of congregations and associations active in Gozo.