One of my favourite authors is A.J. Cronin. In Keys of the Kingdom, an atheist doctor works alongside a priest helping the poor and the sick, and after the doctor died, the priest said: “I know of one atheist who is in heaven.”

 Let us all work for common goals which we all believe in. I think many believe how essential it is to preserve the natural environment. We all wish that every child has the opportunity to live a full life. So let us attack that which is undermining the natural environment. I feel that Birdlife, for example, only defends its own patch: the birds, without realising that if the natural environment in Malta is destroyed, no birds will come. They seem to be happy administering their bird sanctuaries without trying to protect the natural habitat.

Let us remove the obstacles for children who come from unstable backgrounds and are crying for help. I do not think that the schools have the resources to help these poor underprivileged children or that the resources are channelled in the wrong way. Why invest on loads of learning support assistants, when we need specialized teachers to tackle dyslexia, and so on? Why not have teachers help those students who fall a bit behind? Why not introduce a kind of help after school coordinated with the class teacher? Why the need for all the running around for private lessons?

I also think the local church can do more but not by building more orphanages. The workers in the Father's vineyard should be more sensitive and make a preferential choice to help these young ones and teenagers without humiliating them, administering justice, not charity. They should create a family and a home at their centres.

Joe Portelli

Nadur