Former Labour minister Joe Micallef Stafrace, was one of the first to face the controversial Archbishop’s interdiction in the 1960s. He passed away on January 29, 2021 at the age of 87.
Micallef Stafrace was elected to the House of Representatives in 1962, 1966 and 1971, when Dom Mintoff became prime minister.
He was appointed Minister for Industry, Agriculture and Tourism.
In the 1960s, the 28-year-old lawyer and an aspiring politician, Micallef Stafrace had been planning to marry his childhood love Yvonne. As he was determined to accede to his partner’s wish to tie the knot at the Rabat parish church, he sought a private meeting with Archbishop Michael Gonzi in the hope of convincing him to change his mind. But his role as editor of the Labour bi-weekly Is-Sebħ proved to be a major hurdle and the archbishop insisted he could only get married in the sacristy. In 2019, Micallef Stafrace had heaped praise on Archbishop Charles Scicluna after the latter blessed the graves of interdicted Labour supporters.He had said this was the boldest step ever taken by the Church to heal the wounds of the politico-religious dispute of the 1960s.
A traffic expert, Micallef Stafrace also lectured press law at the University of Malta.
He has also served as the chairperson of the Broadcasting Authority.