Statement Author: H.G. Mgr. Joseph Mercieca, B.A. (Lond.), S.Th.D.(Greg), J.U.D. (Lat), Archbishop of Malta Maltese brethren in the global villageIn her great love for the human person, especially for men and women facing the difficulties of life, at the time when a great deal of Maltese and Gozitan went searching new pastures in other lands, the Church in Malta toiled relentlessly to be with them and among them. For these last fifty years, the Church's mission in this field was inspired and coordinated by the Emigrants' Commission that strove to satisfy the needs of our emigrants and their families as best it could, always on alert for the signs of the times. The Emigrants' Commission was also the driving force behind the necessary organisation so that a good number of priests and religious accompanied our emigrants wherever these went looking for work. This not only to serve them in their pastoral needs, but also to help them in other necessities, essentially of a social nature. In today's circumstances, the Church in Malta reluctantly cannot go on providing for emigrants the same number of priests and religious it did in the past. This is due to the fact that the number of priests and religious, whose age and health permit their total dedication to pastoral services, is not what it used to be. This is a hard situation, but it is also the reality. On the other hand, we have the encouraging consolation that, among the emigrant offspring, vocations are surfacing. These are giving a great contribution towards the spiritual care of our emigrants, in the countries where they live. The bridge with emigrantsIn its commitment to serve the emigrants and their families, thirty years ago, the Emigrants' Commission organised a Convention to examine the new or different ways to be followed for the better good of the emigrants and their families at that particular time. It was a Convention that produced good fruit as it helped to renew and strengthen the bridge between our people and their emigrants. The years rolled by, and today we embark on another Convention, this time not for emigrants, but for Leaders of Associations of Maltese Abroad and of Maltese Origin. Today's Convention is being organised jointly between the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Emigrants' Commission. This is a positive thing. It is good to see the State and the Church working hand in hand, both according to their competence, in areas where they are serving the same people. It is nice to see State and Church resources being coordinated to strengthen relations between men, especially among persons who, although physically far away from each other, have the same roots. I am convinced that this undertaking for the strengthening of relations among Maltese brethren, wherever they may be, will be greatly appreciated by the emigrants. On the occasion of visits I had the opportunity to make to some of our emigrant communities in Australia and Canada, I noticed with joy that the emigrants, especially the old-timers, wish to keep alive, as far as possible, their links with Malta. This can also be clearly seen from the fact that, where they settled, they introduced a number of religious and social habits or manifestations of a popular nature. It is therefore very appropriate that this Convention, at the start of a new Millennium, will be concentrating mainly on consolidating and strengthening relations between the associations of Maltese abroad and those of communities of Maltese migrants, with our native land. No matter how much time passes, the emigrants and their families will still be a large and important branch of the Maltese Family. Common ValuesThe emigrants and their new generations, wherever they are in the global village that is the world of our time as a result of the great progress achieved by humanity, in particular in the field of communications, remain our brothers and sisters with their original identity the same as our own. Accordingly, it is my strong desire to see being realised, among our emigrants and in their links with us, the same packet of Maltese values on which we are putting so much emphasis as we explore the possibility of new horizons in our relations with the rest of the world. I am referring to such values as those of the love of life, charity, brotherhood, solidarity, the unity and harmony of the family built on the will of God, and peace. We Maltese, wherever we are found in the world, should not have to be afraid to show who and what we are. Whatever the cultural currents and life styles we face or find ourselves in, we should have the courage to state and lead a life according to the values we believe in and which are part of our identity as a people. May this Convention help us all to grow in unity and to succeed in consolidating and strengthening together that which helps us to be ourselves: a courageous people who, whatever the challenges of time, strove to move forward by seeking, above all, the help of God so that we will always follow the teaching of Christ and of his Church.
    
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