People are being urged to write to the Holy See for Pope Francis not to receive Malta's Prime Minister Joseph Muscat next week.

The letter is to be sent to the Apostolic Nuncio, the Holy See's representative in Malta.

The letter, which was initially initiated by a University lecturer, reads as follows:

"Your Excellency, to our dismay we have just learned that the Prime Minister, Dr Joseph Muscat, is scheduled to meet the Holy Father on the 7th December, and this at a time when, following the revelation of criminal activity at the highest levels of power in our land, the calls for his resignation are flowing in from many diverse quarters, not least from European Union institutions and the Council of Europe."

"We are academics dedicated to excellence in teaching and research in our diverse fields and we have at heart the democratic process in our country and the rule of law to ensure justice for all. In our view it is totally unwise, and pastorally undesirable, to involve the Holy Father in a propaganda exercise in an attempt to postpone an inevitable outcome, given the serious and grave nature of the accusations and allegations which are plaguing the present Administration of our country in full view of local and world media."

Other messages are also making the rounds on social media. One such post reads: "My country is no longer a democracy. #MaltaBlackFriday  Qed naghmlu ezercizzju. Pass it on and post."