Academics from the University of Malta have signed and sent a letter to Pope Francis urging him to not meet with Prime Minister Joseph Muscat amidst recent accusations that his office has been tainted with criminal activity.

Dr Muscat is expected to meet with the Holy Father on the 7th of December, a meeting which hasn’t gone down well with the public after he announced that he will be stepping down in a couple of weeks’ time amidst a very turbulent political week and shocking revelations into the assassination of Daphne Caruana Galizia.

In an effort to disassociate Malta’s current political situation with the Pope, Professor Arnold Cassola along with 22 other faculty members have signed a letter addressed to the head of the Catholic Church, urging the Pope to not receive Dr Muscat.

“In our view it is totally unwise, and pastorally undesirable, to involve the Holy Father in a propaganda exercise in an attempt to postpone an inevitable outcome, given the serious and grave nature of the accusations and allegations which are plaguing the present Administration of our country in full view of local and world media, “ the letter read.

The letter was signed by Professors and Doctors working at the university. It has been addressed to the papal ambassador for the Catholic Church in Malta, Alessandro D’Errico.

Below is the list of people who signed the letter:

• Prof Albert Borg, Department of Maltese, Faculty of Arts
• Prof Juanito Camilleri, Rector Emeritus, Chairman, Centre for Entrepreneurship and
  Business Incubation
• Prof Marie Alexander, Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology
• Prof Joe Pace Asciak, Department of Italian, Faculty of Arts
• Prof Stanley Fiorini, Senior Research Fellow
• Prof Kevin Cassar, Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine and Surgery
• Prof Ivan Callus, Department of English, Faculty of Arts
• Prof Kenneth Wain, Department of Education Studies, Faculty of Education
• Dr Colin Calleja, Dean, Faculty of Education
• Dr Vickie Gauci, Department of Disability Studies, Faculty of Social Wellbeing
• Prof Mary Ann Lauri, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social Wellbeing
• Dr Nadia Delicata, Department of Moral Theology, Faculty of Theology
• Dr Maria Cassar, Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences
• Dr Pat Bonello, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, Faculty of Social Wellbeing
• Dr Anne-Marie Callus, Department of Disability Studies, Faculty of Social Wellbeing
• Dr Maureen Cole, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, Faculty of Social Wellbeing
• Dr M Vella, Department of Social Policy and Social Work, Faculty of Social Wellbeing
• Prof Josef Lauri, Department of Mathematics, Faculty of Science
• Dr Albert Gatt, Director, Institute of Linguistics and Language Technology
• Dr Andrea Demarco, Institute of Space Sciences and Astronomy
• Prof Arnold Cassola, Department of Maltese, Faculty of Arts
• Prof Vicki-Ann Cremona, Department of Theatre Studies, School of Performing Arts

Do you think this meeting should be cancelled? Let us know in the comments below