All those who participated in the Pope's visit to Malta should draw others to the Church and provide them with an experience that will encourage them to stay, Archbishop Paul Cremona said in a Pastoral Letter read out in churches this weekend.

"All those who attended the (Popal) celebrations and participated in them were filled with immense joy... Every person can contribute his share so that the same atmosphere of the past days can extend to the daily life of the Church," Mgr Cremona wrote.

"We need to carry on doing this every Sunday, in order that we can encourage one another to participate in the Eucharist," said Mgr Cremona, who is currently touring the Maltese communities in North America.

Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Malta last month showed that the spirit of God was still very alive among many Maltese people.

Following the Papal visit, no Christian who is convinced of his faith must remain hidden, he insisted. The faithful need to make a quantum leap with conviction, so that they may share their joy and faith with others.

He cited Pope Benedict who had urged the Maltese to be an example, at home and abroad, of dynamic Christian living.

"We were present and waited in anticipation for the Pope's teachings. Yet it is evident that, from our end, we were also able to give him something in return: we shared with him the enthusiasm for our faith, as well as our love for him. By the grace of God, we were able to make him feel happy...

"We need to give witness to the presence of Jesus under the same conditions that were present during the Pope's visit: an enthusiasm which was manifested in spite of many distractions," he said, in a veiled reference to the sex abuse scandals that have afflicted the Church.

"There is a joy which is grounded in Jesus and not in our own abilities, even when we are humbled because of our sins; at a time when our society and some areas of the media are not so much in our favour."

Mgr Cremona said Malta had the chance to listen not only to what others have to say about the Pope, but rather to have the testimony of many people who had the opportunity to meet him personally.

"The greatest gift we can offer to the Pope is that he can rest assured that we are not simply sharing our experiences about his visit, but that he has entreated us to speak openly about the presence of Jesus in our lives."