The first Pope to visit Malta was John Paul II in May 1990. Held between the 25th and 27th May, this visit was the Pope’s 48th Apostolic Trip outside Italy in the first
12 years of his Pontificate. Pope John Paul II , also came to Our Lady’s Shrine during his visit to the Maltese islands.

After praying in the chapel, he was invited to light a perpetual lamp inside the Chapel.

He then proceeded to celebrate Mass in the forecourt in front of which thousands of pilgrims from the Maltese Islands and over the world had gathered to greet him. During the ceremony, He added a crown of golden stars to the Image as a sign of the devotion to Our Lady of the Maltese People 
On Tuesday the 8th of May 2001, the Pope arrived at the Malta International Airport  where he was greeted by an official welcoming ceremony,

“With heartfelt gratitude to God, I stand on Maltese soil for the second time. The Jubilee Pilgrimage which I am making on the Two Thousandth Anniversary of the Birth of Jesus Christ has brought me to Malta. After visiting some of the places especially connected with the history of salvation, at Sinai, in the Holy Land, and now in Athens and Damascus, my pilgrimage in the footsteps of Saint Paul brings me to you…

The memory of my first visit, eleven years ago, spontaneously comes to my mind. I remember my meetings with the priests and religious, the workers, the intellectuals, the families and the young people. I remember the Co-Cathedral of Saint John in Valletta, the Marian Shrines of Mellieha and Ta’ Pinu on the Island of Gozo. I remember the Bay and the Islands of Saint Paul, and in particular the ancient Grotto, venerated as the place where he stayed.

I remember above all the faith and the enthusiasm of the Maltese and Gozitans.

Dear Maltese Friends, cherish your Christian vocation!

Be proud of your religious and cultural heritage! Look to the future with hope, and set out with renewed vigour to make this new Millennium a

time of solidarity and peace, of love for life and respect for God’s creation. I have entrusted my pilgrimage to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Apostle Paul. I invoke their intercession upon all the inhabitants of Malta and Gozo!

Il-Mulej ibierek il-poplu kollu ta’ Malta u ta’ Ghawdex! [God bless the people of Malta and of Gozo!]

The Pontiff beatified Dun Gorg Preca, Nazju Falzon and Sister M. Adeodata Pisani during a beatification ceremony at the Granaries in Floriana on Wednesday 9th May 2001.

Pope Benedict XVI was invited by the Bishops of Malta and the President of the Republic to visit Malta on the occasion of the 1950th anniversary of St. Paul’s shipwreck, which according to tradition occurred in 60 A.D. Large celebrations were held in Malta in 1960 to commemorate this centenary.
In 2009, Pope Benedict XVI declared a year dedicated to Saint Paul, known as the Pauline Year. In Malta, the diocese of both Malta and Gozo organised various
initiatives during which the faithful were encouraged to reflect on Saint Paul. To end the Pauline Year, Pope Benedict XVI sent his delegate to Malta, Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, to preside over the Eucharistic celebration held outside St. John’s Co-Cathedral.
St. Paul’s shipwreck in Malta is of utmost importance to all Christians, particularly to the Maltese since it is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 28, 1-2: “Once we had come safely through, we discovered that the island was called Malta. The inhabitants treated us with unusual kindness”

Pope Benedict XVI visited the island of Malta over the weekend of 17-18 April 2010. It was the Holy Father’s first visit to the island as Pope – his predecessor John Paul II made three Apostolic Journeys to Malta. It is reported that 98% of religious believers are Catholic – making Malta Europe’s most Catholic country. Malta is a place of great significance to the Church in that St Paul, a patron saint of the island, was shipwrecked at the now aptly named St Paul’s Bay 1,950 years ago. Tens of thousands lined the streets. A member of the clergy in the crowd said: “they came out for Christ.”

On Saturday, 17 April 2010, He paid a visit and prayed  in The Cave Of Saint Paul,  Rabat,

After Mass on Sunday, 18 April 2010, in the Piazza of the Granary at Floriana, the Holy Father introduced the recitation of the Regina Caeli by offering a golden rose to Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu, revered by the Maltese people.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When you give thanks, when you have particular prayer intentions, and when you seek heavenly protection for your loved ones, it is your custom to turn to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church and our Mother. I am aware of the particular devotion of the Maltese people to the Mother of God, expressed with great fervour to Our Lady of Ta’ Pinu and so I am pleased to have the opportunity to pray before her image, brought here specially from Gozo for this occasion. I am also delighted to present a Golden Rose to her, as a sign of our shared filial affection for the Mother of God. I ask you in particular to pray to her under the title Queen of the Family, a title added to the Litany of Loreto by my beloved predecessor, Pope John Paul II, himself on more than one occasion a visitor to these shores. In offering you this tangible memento of my own visit, I thank you for all that I have received from you in return, especially for the warmth of your devotion and the support of your prayers for my ministry as the Successor of Peter.

We turn now in prayer to Mary, Mother of the Church and Queen of Heaven, as we rejoice in the Resurrection of the One whom she bore in her womb.(Regina Cæli, lætare …)

He concluded his historic moment , with those words: In the words of Saint Paul, Apostle of Malta, I conclude my words to you this morning:

“L-imħabba tiegħi tkun magħkom ilkoll fi Kristu Ġesù” (1 Cor 16:24).

Then, in the Apostolic Nunciature in Malta, the Holy Father had an unplanned meeting where he met a small group of persons who were sexually abused by members of the clergy.

In the afternoon of Sunday 18th ,the Holy Father met with young people at the Great Port of Valletta, where he spoke of the encounter with Christ that St Paul had as a young man. The Pope encouraged young people not to be afraid of intimate friendship with Christ

:” In this Year for Priests, I ask you to be open to the possibility that the Lord may be calling some of you to give yourselves totally to the service of his people in the priesthood or the consecrated life. Your country has given many fine priests and religious to the Church. Be inspired by their example, and recognize the profound joy that comes from dedicating one’s life to spreading the message of God’s love for all people, without exception.”

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