Pope Benedict yesterday urged parents and teachers to live out their faith more fully and communicate their experience to others, particularly the young.

He encouraged people to "hear God's word afresh" and let it challenge their ways of thinking and how they lived their lives.

The Pontiff said the Gospel had the power to "break into our lives and change their course", in the same way that St Paul's arrival in Malta was unplanned.

"Sailors can map a journey, but God, in his wisdom and providence, charts a course of his own," he said.

The Pope, who was helped down the steep stairs into St Paul's Grotto in Rabat, left his skull cap as a memento and even wrote a long message on the visitors' book.

He asked whether in the face of many threats to the sacredness of human life and to the dignity of marriage and the family, society needed to defend the fundamental moral truths which remained the foundation of authentic freedom and authentic progress.

"I prayed that you might keep unblemished the heritage bequeathed to you by the great Apostle. May the Lord confirm you and your families in the faith which works through love and make you joyful witnesses to the hope which never disappoints."

He mentioned the work done by Maltese missionaries, praising their "challenging and often heroic vocation", and called on God to raise more men and women "to carry forward the noble mission of proclaiming the Gospel and working for the advancement of Christ's Kingdom in every land and people".

Referring to the Pope's visit to Malta as "a great honour and a unique spiritual experience", Archbishop Paul Cremona said the Maltese were waiting for the Pontiff's message with anticipation to confirm their faith and also guide them in their mission of sharing faith with those who had drifted away from the Church.