I wish to reflect on comments received following my letter entitled ‘Stay out of politics’. I was delighted with the comments that show there is a need for more progressive thinking and to move from the past to the present and future. Pope Francis realises this has been a problem for many years.

Emanuel Cilia Debono confuses two totally separate issues: large families and embryo freezing. The Pope’s African visit brought about his comment of there being no need for large families, indicating the importance of family planning enabled by scientific innovation.

The Pope, the first to make such a comment, has seen the considerable poverty and stress within the family. He appreciates the importance of people having children they can afford and planning when it is right for them.

For generations, the Church did not permit such planning because it was in its interest to increase Church membership. Times have changed and now the Pope asks bishops todiscuss locally in preparation for the nextfamily synod.

Embryo freezing is a technique giving women with health problems the opportunity to have their own family. Unfortunately, priests miss out on the experience of family life. There are no substitutes for it. Anthony Calleja is absolutely right in his comments, as is Joline Ribieri.

I am not anti-Church, Jonathan Mercieca, but one who is concerned with the loss of Christianity as the centre of life, where morality is the basis on how our lives are lived daily.

I am, however, surprised there were nocomments on the huge drop in the numberof people attending church, which will eventually lead to church closures andpriest redundancy.

There must be a change in the delivery of services to create interest for all ages. Archbishop Charles Scicluna speaks of evangelism, however, no progress is seen; this could perhaps be the step that saves the Church from its downward track.

These are points which the Archbishop needs to apply his energies to before anything else if further decline is to be avoided.