Press Release

On the initiative of the Embassy of Malta in Brussels, a special holy mass was celebrated in remembrance of the victims of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan on the 11 of March 2011 and in expression of solidarity with the government and the People of  Japan.

The special Mass was held last Monday 11 of April 2011 at the Cathedral of S.S Michel and Gudule in the centre of Brussels.  It was organised in close collaboration with Apostolic Nuncio and with the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels and with the assistance of the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Belgium.

Cardinal André-Joseph Léonard, the Primate of Belgium presided over the Mass. He was assisted by Mgr. Giacinto Borloco, the Apostolic Nuncio to Belgium who is also the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Brussels.

The Mass, which was partly conducted in Japanese, was attended by the diplomatic community in Brussels which was led by H.E. Mr. Jun Yokota, the Ambassador of Japan, and by representatives of the Belgian authorities.  The event received important media attention in Brussels.

In addressing the congregation towards the end of the ceremony, H.E. Pierre Clive Agius, the Ambassador of Malta to Belgium stated that the ultimate aim of international politics was to build bridges of understanding and to promote solidarity.  Humanity, he stated, converged in its values.  He ended his intervention by quoting the words of Fr. Paul Chetcuti S.J. that ‘the need that gives meaning to all the other needs of humanity is the deep need to give’.  It is untimely this very need that moved the Diplomatic community in Brussels to come together in an expression of solidarity for the difficult times, the Japanese People have to bear currently.