Meeting on Equality and Justice

December 18, 1998
Meeting on Equality and Justice
Workers’ Memorial Building, Valletta

In collaboration with the Malta John XXIII Peace Lab

This meeting was held to commemorate the 40th anniversary of Pope John XXIII’s historical visit to the Regina Coeli prisons of Rome on December 26, 1958, a couple of weeks after his ascension to the papal thrown. The theme chosen for the meeting, together with co-organisers Peace Lab John XXIII, was: Are the Low and the High equal before the Law?

Those present were invited to discuss a working document distributed and explained to them all. The idea was to decide on a final version of the document, and issue a common position-statement. The idea was accepted and liked very much.

To help in the editing of the working document, Mid-Dlam ghad-Dawl and the Peace Lab invited two lawyers, Dr Anna Mallia and Dr Tony Abela, and one journalist, Pamela Hansen, to address the meeting. The document had been sent to them before-hand. The discussion that ensued was a most lively one. The meeting was jointly directed by the Director of the Peace Lab, Fr Dionysus Mintoff OFM, and Dr Mark Montebello for Mid-Dlam ghad-Dawl.

At the end of the meeting, after all the emandments to the working document were made, those present approved the final version and ordered its publication. The position-statement, eventually, was sent to the press, and thereby given considerable attention.