Pope Leo XIV received the Prime Minister of the Republic of Malta, Robert Abela, in audience on Monday morning, 15 December, at the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican. The meeting was reported by Vatican News and formed part of a series of high-level institutional engagements.
Following the papal audience, Prime Minister Abela held talks at the Vatican Secretariat of State, where he met Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican Secretary of State, accompanied by Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organisations.
According to a statement issued by the Holy See Press Office, the discussions were described as cordial and highlighted the “good bilateral relations and the fruitful collaboration between the Church and the State.” The talks also focused on issues of shared concern, particularly migration, an area in which both the Church and the Maltese government are actively involved.
The statement further noted that the conversation extended to the broader European and international context. Particular attention was given to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East, reflecting the Vatican’s continued diplomatic engagement on global peace and humanitarian matters.
The visit underscores Malta’s ongoing dialogue with the Holy See on regional and international challenges, as well as the longstanding relationship between the Maltese State and the Catholic Church.
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