Pope Arrives Today, Kurt Sansone, Times of Malta, April 17, 2010

Pope Arrives Today

By Kurt Sansone
Times of Malta
April 17, 2010

http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100417/local/pope-arrives-today

A cavernous welcome... Volunteers decorating St Paul's Grotto, in Rabat, with flowers yesterday in anticipation of the Pope's visit this evening.
Photo by Darrin Zammit Lupi

Pope Benedict XVI is expected to land in Malta at 5 p.m. today after spending a quiet 83rd birthday yesterday resting in anticipation of the 26-hour visit.

This is the Pontiff's first overseas visit for the year and coincides with a media barrage on allegations of sexual abuse by the clergy, which have also embroiled the head of the Catholic Church from the time he was still a cardinal responsible for dealing with abusive priests.

The media attention is expected to follow the Pope on this trip not least because several men who allegedly suffered abuse at the hands of three priests while living in an orphanage in Santa Venera have asked for a meeting with the Pontiff. A meeting has not been ruled out although Church officials have said the Pope's schedule is very tight.

In a television clip advertising the Papal visit, Archbishop Paul Cremona urged the faithful to welcome the Pope with an open heart just like St Paul was greeted when he was shipwrecked in Malta.

Many will heed Mgr Cremona's appeal but the island described as "Malta Cattolicissima" by Pope John Paul II during his first visit 20 years ago may not be the country of solace Pope Benedict XVI is hoping for.

The level of popular enthusiasm today is not comparable to that which greeted Pope John Paul II in his two visits in 1990 and 2001. The sex abuse allegations may be partly to blame but they are not the only factor.

Sociologist Rev. Joe Inguanez, speaking to The Times last month, said he did not believe the impact of the allegations would be widespread in Malta. However, he insisted one could not say whether the Maltese would still flock to see the Pope during his brief visit, just as they had done on the two occasions his predecessor came to Malta.

"He is not Pope John Paul II and fewer people might go because of that rather than because of the claims," Fr Inguanez had said.

It is not just that he is a different Pope; a changed society will also greet him.

A study conducted by sociologist Anthony M. Abela in 1991 among young people had found 28 per cent justified divorce. By 1995, the number had gone up to 35 per cent. Today, support for the introduction of divorce, which the Church wholeheartedly opposes, has achieved a majority in the country. A recent survey conducted by MaltaToday newspaper showed more than 53 per cent agreed with its introduction.

Even church attendance has plummeted. According to the 2005 census, Mass attendance in Malta dropped to 51 per cent from 62 per cent in 1995. In Gozo, where the Pope will not set foot, church attendance is much higher than in Malta.

In 2005, 81 per cent of Gozitan Catholics attended Mass, a slight drop from 84 per cent in 1995.

Gozo Bishop Mario Grech yesterday called for God's blessing on the Pope on his birthday and urged his diocese to pray to Our Lady of Ta' Pinu.

Prayer may very well be the Church's response in times of crisis and when visiting preparatory works on the Granaries, in Floriana this week, Archbishop Cremona augured that the Pope's visit would be a "powerful experience". He also expressed hope that about 40,000 to 50,000 people would attend tomorrow's open-air Mass.

It may well turn out to be a tour de force by Catholics in defence of their religious leader but whether the visit will have a lasting spiritual impact is another matter altogether.

The event will be streamed live on timesofmalta.com.