Gozo bishop meets Pope Francis

Gozo bishop Mario Grech met Pope Francis in the Vatican during a plenary assembly of bishops of the European episcopal conference.

The Pope said that the Church is facing a complex challenge in Europe and that Europe needs to rediscover its Christian roots.

“The Pope said that Mother Europe has become Grandmother Europe because it has stopped generating life,” Grech said. “The European birth rate is very low, countries are struggling to sustain an ageing population, and the youth unemployment rate is extremely high in countries like Italy and Spain.

“However, the Pope remains optimistic about Europe’s future.”

The theme of the conference was ‘family and future of Europe’. “Pastors and families need to work together with a spirit of humility and sincere dialogue so that parish communities become families of families,” Pope Francis said in a document.

The Pope added that pastors have a duty supporting parents in educating their children, but without forcing any religious beliefs onto them.

“Parents have the right to educate their children in conformity with their moral and religious convictions,” the Pope said.