Nhar il-Ġimgħa 25 ta’ Settembru 2015, saret ikla ta’ ringrazzjament għas-saċerdoti li kienu jaħdmu fil-Kurja tal-Arċisqof, il-Furjana. F’isem il-ħaddiema kollha u f’isem il-Knisja, l-Arċisqof Charles J. Scicluna rringrazzja lil Mons. Anton Gouder li serva bħala Pro-Vigarju Ġenerali, lil Mons. Anton Portelli li serva bħala Segretarju Amministrattiv, lil Mons. Charles Cordina li serva bħala Segretarju Pastorali, u lil Dun Ray Toledo li serva bħala Delegat għall-Parroċċi…

Ġie ffirmat ftehim kollettiv ġdid bejn il-Kurja tal-Arċisqof u l-Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin, għall-perjodu 2015-2019. Il-ftehim ġie ffirmat mis-Sur Michael Pace Ross, Segretarju Amministrattiv tal-Arċidjocesi ta’ Malta, u mis-Sur Jesmond Bonello, President tal-UĦM.

Il-ftehim jipprovdi għal kundizzjonijiet aħjar ta’ xogħol għal ħaddiema kollha, fosthom żidiet bl-arretrati fis-salarji u fl-allowances għall-kwalifiki, u bonus ta’ darba li jingħata f’Diċembru. Jipprovdi wkoll għal bilanċ aħjar bejn ix-xogħol u l-familja, b’żieda ta’ ġurnata vacation leave u ħinijiet iktar flessibbli ta’ xogħol…

Pope Francis on Thursday 24th September 2015, made history by becoming the first Pope ever to address a joint session of the United States Congress. In his wide-ranging address that was frequently interrupted by applause, the Pope touched on many themes including the need for politics to serve the common good, the importance of cooperation and solidarity, the dangers of fundamentalism, the refugee crisis, abolition of the death penalty, the need for courageous acts to avert environmental deterioration, the evils of the arms trade and threats to the family from within and without…

Il-Moviment ta’ Kana jemmen illi jekk il-proposti dwar l-iffriżar tal-Embrjuni jidħlu fis-seħħ tkun qed tinfetaħ it-triq għall-legalizazzjoni tal-abort. Il-ħajja umana tibda mill-mument tat-tnissil u għalhekk jeħtieġ li kull embrjun għandu jiġi ttrattat b’rispett u b’dinjità sa mill-ewwel waqt tat-tnissil.

L-iffriżar tal-Embrjuni hu inkompatibbli mar-rispett u d-dinjità li biha għandha tiġi trattata il-ħajja umana sa mit-tnissil. 

L-esperjenza ta’ pajjiżi oħra turi illi fejn jitħalla jsir l-Iffrizar tal-Embrjuni,  jiġri li numru kbir ta’ ħajjiet umani jinqerdu wara li jagħmlu għadd ta’ snin iffrizati…

Justice and Peace Europe meets in Copenhagen and Malmö

The Conference of European Justice & Peace Commissions will meet from 25 to 28 September 2015 in Copenhagen and Malmö for their annual International Workshop and General Assembly. The general theme of the International Workshop is “European models of living together– experiences in Copenhagen and Malmö”. H.E. Jean-Claude Hollerich, the Archbishop of Luxembourg and President of Justice and Peace Europe, will moderate the General Assembly…

Pope Francis has arrived. His flight landed at Joint Base Andrews (formerly known as Andrews Air Force Base), shortly after 3:30 PM local time in the US state of Maryland.

The welcome ceremony – otherwise little more than a simple observance of only the most absolutely necessary protocol – was punctuated by two particularly poignant elements: the first was the presence of the President of the United States, Barack Obama – and his family – to greet his nation’s guest; the second was the Spanish  language alongside English, in which the gathered crowd – some hundreds of young people from Washington, DC area schools among them – cheered their welcome…

Bejn il-11 u s-16 ta’ Settembru 2015, l-E.T. Mons. Mario Grech, Isqof ta’ Għawdex, irrappreżenta lill-Konferenza Episkopali Maltija fl-Assemblea Plenarja tal-Kunsill għall-Konferenzi Episkopali Ewropej (CCEE), li fuq stedina tal-Beatitudni Tiegħu Fouad Twal, Patrijarka Latin ta’ Ġerusalemm, din is-sena nżammet fl-Art Imqaddsa.  B’waqfiet fil-Galilija, f’Betlehem u f’Ġerusalemm, din l-Assemblea kienet l-ewwel waħda fl-istorja riċenti tal-Kristjaneżmu li laqqgħet flimkien fl-istess ħin u post għadd hekk kbir ta’ rappreżentanzi għolja tal-Episkopat Ewropew: 45 pajjiż kienu rrappreżentati f’din il-laqgħa.  It-tema ewlenija diskussa kienet: “Il-ferħ u t-tbatijiet tal-Knejjes partikulari”. 

Tul iż-żjara tagħhom l-Isqfijiet Ewropej kellhom ċans iżuru komunitajiet Insara fl-Art Imqaddsa, jaraw il-ħidma tal-Knisja f’dan il-pajjiż u jiltaqgħu wkoll mal-awtoritajiet politiċi Israeljani u dawk Palestinjani.  F’Velja li nżammet apposta, huma talbu għas-suċċess tas-Sinodu tal-Familja li sa jinżamm f’Ruma f’Ottubru, waqt li f’Messaġġ Finali qalu li huma żaru l-Art Imqaddsa biex “iħeġġu iktar pellegrinaġġi fl-art ta’ Ġesù ħa jġeddu l-fidi u jwieżnu l-Insara ta’ dawn il-postijiet”…

Perhaps the event which created most media interest during Pope Francis’s first full day in Cuba was his meeting with revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. During a private encounter at the 89-year-old retired President’s home, the Pope and Castro discussed religion and world affairs. The meeting took place just hours after the Pope at Mass urged Cubans to serve one another and not ideology…