Pope Francis will be visiting the John XXIII Peace Lab on the second day of his papal trip to Malta.
JOSEPH ABELA
PEACE LAB
This is the first papal visit. And it's, you know, very fitting,that a pope is going to visit a monument for the pope of kindness, you know, Pope John XXIII.
The John XXIII Peace Lab was founded by Fr. Dionysius Mintoff, a Franciscan friar, in 1971 with the goal of bringing the message of peace to Malta and the rest of the world through the example of Pope John XXIII.
Joseph Abela, who has worked with the Peace Lab since 2001, describes how Fr. Mintoff converted a military base to a place of peace where all could come together, no matter their background. The Peace Lab's mission includes welcoming, educating, and finding jobs for migrants and refugees.
JOSEPH ABELA
PEACE LAB
In 2005, we reached an agreement with the Ministry for social solidarity to host about 20 refugees in our place. Usually the refugees that stay in the Peace Lab are those that don't enjoy any form of protection.
Abela says that the upcoming papal visit will be good because the Pope is great at conveying the message of hope to those in need by selflessly giving to others.
JOSEPH ABELA
PEACE LAB
We can change the world with simple things, you know? It is not complicated to change the world because that is his message in a sense. Because if you do good things to people without expecting anything in return, you are contributing to changing the world, to make it a better place.
Changing the world through simple things: that’s the message behind the Peace Lab and the visit of Pope Francis.
KG
