The scenes we witnessed after the death of the beloved Pope John Paul II are still fresh in our minds. The love shown in the last few days for the Pope from all walks of life from all over the world was much deserved because he was always close to the people especially those who were suffering from sickness, incarceration and other injustice.

Many times, while addressing the people from the Vatican or on one of his numerous trips around the world, he appealed in favour of those who are suffering, among them those behind bars in prisons all over the world.

It wasn’t rare that countries took ahead of the Pope’s appeals.

Now the Pope is dead and we are all waiting anxiously for his successor to be chosen. But Pope John Paul’s message is not dead. His appeals for mercy are still valid and perhaps more than they were before.

That is why I, a mother with a broken heart, am appealing to the Maltese authorities to consider seriously the situation of those, among them my son, who are in prison and show them a little mercy. I ask them to reflect for a moment about the teachings of Pope John Paul II.

If they do this I am sure that they will find the means to reduce the pain being borne not only by the prisoners themselves but also by us, their parents and families.

Name withheld