Pope Francis has prayed for the world to show more compassion to refugees before a meeting with migrants in Malta on Sunday.
The pontiff opened his second and final day on the Mediterranean island by visiting the holy grotto of Saint Paul in Rabat — where the disciple stayed after being shipwrecked on his way to Rome in 60 AD — before leading a mass for a crowd of 20,000.
In a symbolic likening of the apostle’s need for a safe haven with that of refugees, the Pope used his visit to drive home his customary call for Europeans to show better treatment of arrivals in their respective countries.
He recalled how Saint Paul and his fellow travellers were welcomed, even though "no one knew their names, their place of birth or their social status".
He called on God to "help us to recognise from afar those in need, struggling amidst the waves of the sea, dashed against the reefs of unknown shores" and grant that "our compassion be more than empty words".
Pope Francis went on to hold an open-air mass in Floriana, near the capital Valletta, before visiting a migrant centre in the afternoon that will soon host refugees fleeing the Ukraine war.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has overshadowed the Pope's first trip to Catholic-majority Malta, a visit delayed by two years due to the pandemic. The short trip has been taxing for the pontiff, 85, who is suffering from strained knee ligaments.
On Saturday, the pope had given a warning that "some potentate, sadly caught up in anachronistic claims of nationalist interests, is provoking and fomenting conflicts" in a thinly veiled swipe at Russian President Vladimir Putin.
He told reporters that a papal visit to Ukraine's capital was "on the table" but gave no further details.
In a hard-hitting speech in Malta's presidential palace on the first day of his trip, the pope reminded the island nation of its status as a "safe harbour".
"The growing migration emergency — here we can think of the refugees from war-torn Ukraine — calls for a broad-based and shared response," he said.
The war has sparked the worst refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War, with more than 4 million people having fled Ukraine since the invasion began, latest United Nations' figures suggest.
The need to welcome and embrace people fleeing conflict, poverty or the effects of climate change has been a leading theme of the Pope's nine-year tenure.
Malta has long been at the heart of the European refugee policy debate. The country of 444,000 people is frequently criticised by humanitarian groups for refusing to allow rescue ships to dock.
The government argues it has one of the European Union’s highest rates in processing first-time asylum applications and says other, bigger European countries should do more to shoulder the burden.
While thanking Malta for its welcome of newcomers, Pope Francis criticised the EU policy that trains the Libyan coastguard to return smuggled migrants back to shore.
Human rights groups have documented gross abuse at the Libyan detention centres where the returned migrants are then often housed.
“Civilised countries cannot approve for their own interest sordid agreements with criminals who enslave other human beings,” he said.
The pontiff is wrapping up his trip with a visit to a shelter run by volunteers that can house 50 migrants and provide them with educational and medical services.
Most of its occupants come from Somalia, Eritrea and Sudan and made the perilous Mediterranean crossing from Libya.
Staff at the John XXIII Peace Lab, a centre inspired by the pope of that name, are preparing for the arrival of Ukrainian refugees.
Run for the past five decades by a Franciscan friar, now 91, it already hosts 55 young men from across Africa who arrived in Malta without legal papers.
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
THE%20SPECS
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Mobile phone packages comparison
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
more from Janine di Giovanni
Results
2.15pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Mamia Al Reef, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
3.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner: Jaahiz, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner: Qanoon, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Cup Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Philosopher, Tadhg O’Shea, Salem bin Ghadayer.
54.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yassoob, Fernando Jara, Irfan Ellahi.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Wednesday and the pair embraced but he failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Company%20Profile
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League, Group C
Liverpool v Red Star Belgrade
Anfield, Liverpool
Wednesday, 11pm (UAE)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
Like a Fading Shadow
Antonio Muñoz Molina
Translated from the Spanish by Camilo A. Ramirez
Tuskar Rock Press (pp. 310)
BMW%20M4%20Competition
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Match info
Uefa Champions League Group B
Barcelona v Tottenham Hotspur, midnight
The specs: 2018 BMW X2 and X3
Price, as tested: Dh255,150 (X2); Dh383,250 (X3)
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged inline four-cylinder (X2); 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six-cylinder (X3)
Power 192hp @ 5,000rpm (X2); 355hp @ 5,500rpm (X3)
Torque: 280Nm @ 1,350rpm (X2); 500Nm @ 1,520rpm (X3)
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic (X2); Eight-speed automatic (X3)
Fuel consumption, combined: 5.7L / 100km (X2); 8.3L / 100km (X3)
