Archbishop Charles Scicluna likened Id-Dar tal-Providenza in Siġġiewi to “a beautiful flower of the Maltese Church and Maltese society”.

“I told the Pope: Your Holiness I present you with a beautiful flower of the Maltese Church and Maltese Society,” he said in his homily during a Thanksgiving Mass at St John’s Co-Cathedral in Valletta marking the 50th anniversary of Id-Dar tal-Providenza, the residential homes for disabled people.

The Archbishop said that when we found time, help and resources for an institution like Id-Dar tal-Providenza one would be making a statement to the world.

“Who are we to decide on the values of human life? We receive it as a gift. Who am I to choose between one person and another? Who am I to say that I only want those who are beautiful, well-built, intelligent and healthy? Who am I? And although this is a sure sign of utter humility, I think it is also a sign of dignity and civility,” Mgr Scicluna said.

Apart from the woman who had donated €233 to the homes’ founder, Mgr Mikiel Azzopardi, setting the ball rolling, there were many people who ensured that this “river of generosity never dries up”, the Archbishop said.

“May we who endeavour to have an inclusive society on many levels, and it is right to do so, never forget those brothers and sisters who, with their presence and their life, are not a burden but a richness, are not a weight but a source of happiness and peace for us all,” he concluded.