Prison boss had requested papal visit to Corradino facility in 2020

A letter penned last December reveals that Malta’s prison administration had asked the Pope to visit prisoners at the Corradino Correctional Facility (CCF).

Addressed to Pope Francis, the letter was written after former Bishop of Gozo Mario Grech had been made Cardinal by Pope Francis.

“In his episcopate in Gozo, Mons Grech – on his own initiative – established a strong link with prisoners, particularly when he invited a representation of prison officers and inmates to the Shrine of Our Lady of Ta Pinu in Gozo,” the letter reads.

“It would be a great joy for prison officers and inmates if when you come to Malta then pay a visit to the prisons,” it continues.

The letter is penned by Randolph Spiteri, CCF’s Chief Operating Officer, and Fr Hayden Williams.

The revelation that CCF administrators requested a papal visit last year comes days after journalist and veteran presenter Peppi Azzopardi wrote to the Archbishop of Malta requesting that the Pope visits the Corradino Correctional Facility.

“I have no doubt that when Pope Francis comes to our country he will accept this appeal and visit the Corradino prison,” Azzopardi wrote.

An inquiry board was appointed last month to review suicide prevention measures at the prison, after two inmates attempted suicide over the summer.

However, the CCF administration has long been under pressure due to the number of deaths among inmates over recent years and the iron fist by which prison director Alex Dalli operates.

Dalli has been in charge of CCF since 2019, but his disciplinarian methods have led to some calling for his removal.