THE POPE IN MALTA:
VISIT WITH PRESIDENT ABELA
The courtesy visit with President Abela and his wife at the Presidential Palace (former Palace of the Grand Masters) in Valletta turned out to be one of those unexpected big moments.
Organizers had filled the large square in front of the palace with thousands of schoolchildren waving flags and singing Happy Birthday to the Pope when he arrived.
Best of all, the balcony of the presidential palace overlooking the square gave everyone a chance to see the Pope.
On leaving the palace, the Pope walked over to the front row of the schoolchildren's ranks to greet handicapped children before mounting the Popemobile to proceed to Rabat.
More than 100,000 turned up
Saturday to greet the Pope
along the Popemobile routes
Translated from
Malta gave Pope Benedict XVI a welcome that was much greater than expected, according to Vatican press director Fr. Fderico Lombardi, in a briefing after the Pope's first few hours on the island.
Lombardi said more than 100,000 persons turned up along the routes taken by the Popemobile since the Pope's arrival. [Previously, trip organnizers had said that the Popemobile routes would take the Pope through 45 parishes in 15 communities in and around La Valletta, the capital, during his 27-hour visit.]
"The Pope is obviously very happy at the warmth that everyone showed him," Lombardi said.
A touching moment was unscheduled. Upon leaving the presidential palace, the Pope walked over to six terminally ill children whom their parents had brought to the square facing the palace. The Pope caressed them and gave them his blessing.
However, Fr. Lombardi would not confirm whether another unscheduled event will take place Sunday, namely, a meeting with the 10 abuse victims who had publicly asked for such a meeting last week.
"If it happpens," Fr. Lomardi said, "it will be reported only after it takes place".
Lombardi would not comment on a statement made in Spain by Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos that the letter he wrote to a French bishop in 1992 to congratulate him on not denouncing a sex offender priest to teh Poilce, ahd been approved by John Paul II.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 19/04/2010 02:56]