The breadth of tradition : giving the past a future

Abstract

Societas Oecumenica could not have chosen a better place than Malta, an island full of traditions, beliefs and practices to discuss a theme that necessarily involves continuity and renewal. The Maltese islands too witnessed development starting with its first colonisers, the Phoenicians in 8th century BC, and ending with the British in the 20th century. Independence was granted in 1964, however the formal withdrawal of the British troops and the Royal Navy from Malta took place in 1979. The Gospel reached the Maltese shores two millennia ago through the figure of St Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles. His providential shipwreck in around 60 A.D., as recorded in the Books of Acts, chapter 28, led the islanders to embark on a journey of faith, moving from pagan worship for almost four thousand years or even before, to wholeheartedly embracing Christianity.