The main challenge faced by the Church today is the lack of a scale of values against which people can measure what is right and wrong, true and false, Cardinal Prospero Grech said.

Youngsters were not being taught the true significance of the Church’s teachings. Young people need to be encouraged to understand what the Church and its sacraments, such as marriage, were all about.

He gave the example of marriage where many young people were opting to cohabit under the excuse that there were many separations. Many who chose to get married in Church did it without giving enough thought to the sacrament that placed God in their lives.

He was speaking to journalists on his first visit to Malta since becoming Cardinal last February. Asked what he thought about the way the Church in Malta handled the issue of divorce, and now IVF, he said the Church was voicing beliefs that remained solid and did not depend on votes.

Regarding the Maltese bishops’ message condemning IVF, he said it was in line with the teachings of the Church as was the stand of the Maltese Church on gay marriage.

Touching on the subject of immigration, he said history was repeating itself and the Church needed to predict the changes brought about by the movement of cultures.