Local
PM Gonzi to invite Pope to visit Malta
By MaltaMedia News
Jan 7, 2007 - 11:01:08 AM

The PrimeMinister Lawrence Gonzi will be meeting Pope Benedict XVI on the 18^th January. During this meeting, Dr Gonzi is expected to formally invite the Pope to visit Malta in the upcoming months, newspaper Il-Gens reported.

Should the Pope accept the PrimeMinister’s invitation, Pope Benedict XVI would be the second pope to visit Malta after Pope John Paul II. The late Pope had visited Malta in 1990 and 2002.

Dr Gonzi’s visit will be the first of the sort by a high representative of the Maltese Government at the Vatican during this pontificate.

The Maltese PrimeMinister will be accompanied by Ms Kate Gonzi, the Minister for Foreign Affairs Michael Frendo, Malta ’s Ambassador for the Vatican Tonio Ganado and other officials from the PrimeMinister’s secretariat.

The PrimeMinister is also expected to hold bilateral talks with Vatican officials, among them the secretary for the Vatican state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone.