The visit of Pope Benedict XVI was given a "highly positive evaluation" by the head of the Vatican press office who praised the organisation of the event and said the turnout exceeded expectations.
Fr Federico Lombardi said the participation of half the Maltese population was significant in the light of the sexual abuse controversy surrounding the Church, which was extensively reported by the media before the visit.
Due to such issues, he said, "it wasn't clear just beforehand (the visit) how the reception was going to be".
Speaking to Zenit, a news agency specialising in the coverage of the Pope, Fr Lombardi said he believed the participation of some 200,000 people was due to the Christian roots of the Maltese "and their grand Catholic tradition, which was manifested spontaneously". "The warmth of the reception, the unplanned number of people on the streets... all happy and orderly in showing their enthusiasm... was something that left a deep impression," Fr Lombardi said.
Preparations for the papal visit started in October by the Church's organisation committee, in collaboration with a government joint committee made up of representatives of the police, army, health authorities, the Department of Information and Civil Protection Department, among others.
Fr Lombardi also spoke about Pope Benedict's meeting with the men who claimed to have been abused by priests when they were children.
"I myself, having been present, saw a very, very moving atmosphere, very deep, but also very serene and full of hope, healing and reconciliation," he said.
Several foreign journalists also praised the organisation of the event and thanked the DOI for "the perfectly organised" coverage.
"In the many trips of Pope John Paul II and of Pope Benedict XVI that I have had the honour to cover over the years... I have to say that the media centre in Floriana (at the Hotel Excelsior) was one of the most beautiful in terms of location and the most user-friendly for journalists," a veteran journalist wrote in a thank-you letter to the DOI.