50th anniversary of the historic visit of H.H. Blessed Pope John XXI
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On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the historic visit of H.H.
Blessed Pope John XXIII to the inmates of Regina Coeli prisons in Rome, on
the 26th of December at 6:30pm, His Grace Archbishop Paul Cremona O.P., will
celebrate solemn Mass at St. John’s Co- Cathedral under the auspices of his
H.E the President of Malta. The general public is cordially invited to
attend.
*”I was in prison and you came to visit me … I tell you the truth,
whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for
me.”*
(Mt. 25:36,40)
Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli was elected pope, the highest authority of the
Catholic Church, on 28 October 1958 at the age of 77, taking the name John
XXIII. His pontificate, which lasted less than five years, presented him to
the entire world as an authentic image of the good shepherd. Meek and
gentle, enterprising and courageous, simple and active, he carried out the
Christian duties of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. His social
magisterium in the encyclicals *Pacem in terris* and *Mater et Magistra* was
deeply appreciated.
Just two months into his pontificate, Pope John made an historic and
unprecedented decision: *he stepped out of the Vatican!* The unification of
Italy in 1870 meant that the pope lost all his temporal power, including the
Vatican itself. Consequently, Pope Pius IX declared himself the “prisoner of
the Vatican” and never stepped out of “his” territory any more. So did all
his successors … that is, until 1958, when Pope John – with his charm,
simplicity and unfussiness – broke this 88-year self-imposed imprisonment.
He did so not for any political reason, but simply to do the work that Jesus
himself did: to bring humankind to the bosom of the Father.
On Christmas Day of 1958, just short of his two months in office, Pope John
stepped out of the Vatican and went to the Hospital of the Child Jesus in
Rome to visit sick children. The day after, 26 December, he surprised
everyone by leaving the Vatican again to go, of all places, to the prisons
of Regina Coeli in Rome. Years later, his successor Pope Paul VI, described
this visit as “a sign of incomparable beauty” The world was astonished, not
only because he was no longer a “prisoner of the Vatican”, but moreover
because his immediate predecessor, Pope Pius XII, had, for 19 years, built
an image of the pope as a sort of a demigod. Alas, Pope John broke that
image, presenting himself as a brother and fellow-traveller in life … of
the sick, of prisoners, of all men and women of goodwill.
That hallowed visit to the inmates of Rome’s major prisons 50 years ago
opened the door to many more visits to prisoners by Pope John successors:
Paul VI, John Paul II and Benedict XVI. It blessed and sanctioned the work
that many Christians around the world do with prisoners, their families and
ex-prisoners.
In Malta, Mid-Dlam ghad-Dawl is the major organisation that does this work.
In a global context it is just one of the many. The commemoration of Pope
John’s historical visit to the prisons in 1958 is a way of renewing our
13-year commitment towards prisoners, their families and ex-prisoners, but
also a way of being spiritually united in fraternal solidarity with all
those around the world – Christian and non-Christian – who stand by
prisoners, their families and ex-prisoners.
Sue Micallef
Mid- Dlam ghad- Dawl
Dar It- Tama
Triq Matty Grima
Cospicua BML 1161
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