Archbishop Joseph Mercieca's exhortation to mothers to give top priority to their young children according to their specific call, precisely as mothers, appears to have been misunderstood or misinterpreted by certain people.

One correspondent (The Sunday Times, January 9) went to the extent of visualising the Archbishop's solicitation as "another attempt" by Mgr Mercieca "to undermine the independence of women in society as he is plainly stating that the woman's place is at home washing the dishes and sweeping the floor". The Archbishop has never said or implied such a thing.

It is very unfortunate, to start with, that whenever the Archbishop touches upon the role of mothers, certain sectors forget or ignore what Mgr Mercieca has been saying for such a long time about the role of both parents in the upbringing of their children, and that emphasis on the mother's role should not overshadow the importance of the father's specific role because their roles are complementary.

Archbishop Mercieca has been insisting not only on the responsibility of both parents towards their children, but also on women's right to have full opportunities and be able to find and keep their right place in all sectors of society. He has repeatedly sustained that women should be assured equal opportunities in every sphere of society, from education to the practice of professions and the acquisition of jobs, and that everything should be done to encourage women to develop their talents.

The Archbishop's appeal to ensure that the care of small children is given utmost priority is directed primarily to mothers who can afford to dedicate themselves first and foremost to their young children, but perhaps do not value this choice well enough.

Mgr Mercieca of course understands and appreciates the situation of mothers who have to go to work outside their homes because they have no option. Mothers who would like to dedicate themselves primarily to their children but cannot do so because they have to earn their own living or for any other valid reason, have all the Archbishop's understanding and solidarity.

At the same time, in line with the social teaching of the Church, Mgr Mercieca keeps reminding everybody that:

- the distinctive natural bond that exists between mother and child cannot be ignored;

- society must strive to ensure that the family's collective income permits mothers to have a real choice of whether to work outside the family home or not, especially when they have small children to take care of;

- it is absolutely unacceptable for anyone to look at women who dedicate themselves to their families as if they are second-class and failed citizens;

- what a mother contributes to the family and through it to society deserves full attention, appreciation and recognition.

Mgr Mercieca stresses that society should do its utmost to support effectively the hard work women do in fulfilling their vocation as mothers, and in the gestation and upbringing of their children through family-friendly policies.

The Holy Father's teaching on the subject is as follows:

"While speaking about employment in reference to the family, it is appropriate to emphasise how important and burdensome is the work women do within the family unit: that work should be acknowledged and deeply appreciated. The 'toil' of a woman who, having given birth to a child, nourishes and cares for that child and devotes herself to its upbringing, particularly in the early years, is so great to be comparable to any professional work. This ought to be clearly stated and upheld no less than any other labour right.

"Motherhood, because of all the hard work it entails, should be recognised as giving the rights to financial benefits at least equal to those of other kinds of work undertaken in order to support the family during such a delicate phase of its life." (Letter to Families, 17).

The Church is not alone in promoting these policies. A Meeting of European Politicians and Legislators on Human Rights and Rights of Family which met in Rome on October 22-24, 1998, had this to say in its conclusions: "Social legislation and policy should protect the role of mothers. Women should be free to be mothers and not forced by economic or social pressures to work outside the home. Work in the home ought to be recognised as a real and essential economic activity that produces goods."