The Pope will have a two-day apostolic journey to the Republic of Malta from 2nd to 3rd April 2022, visiting the cities of Valletta, Rabat, Floriana, and the island of Gozo. Pope Francis has accepted the invitation of its President, the civil authorities, and the Catholic Church of this country.
The Pope was supposed to visit Malta on 31st May 2020, but that apostolic journey was postponed due to the situation of the coronavirus pandemic.
The theme of the apostolic journey of the Pope, “They showed us unusual kindness”, refers to the hospitality shown to St. Paul by the Maltese people when a ship carrying him to Rome was shipwrecked there in 60 AD. It highlights the plight of the migrants crossing the Mediterranean toward Europe, and it wants to be a source of encouragement for a new evangelization in the island nation.
There are other Popes who have made apostolic visits to Malta: Pope St. John Paul II visited Malta in the year 1990 and 2001 and Pope Benedict XVI also visited the island in 2010. Pope St. John Paul II beatified George Preca, who became Malta’s first Saint in 2007.
Source: https://www.vaticannews.va/