Hopes to give new and wider meaning of faith to his new diocese

Presenting the gospel in a way that today's congregation could relate to it was one of the challenges the church faced, according to Canon Alan Woods, outgoing Chancellor of St Paul's Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Valletta.

"I feel we have to focus on how we can bring the gospel to people in a way they can understand and which is relevant to their lives by making it lively and interesting," he said.

With a never-ending homily there was also the risk of boring listeners so it was important to keep a homily short to keep the congregation's focus.

Fr Alan, who is also Senior Anglican Chaplain, Malta and Gozo, was speaking in an interview upon his appointment as dean of Gibraltar after a seven-and-a-half-year stint in Malta.

He leaves the island, with his wife Barbara, on September 19, sad to leave his Maltese congregation and friends behind, yet excited to be offered new responsibilities.

In the interview, Fr Alan delved into the challenges that all churches faced and spoke of the need for all Christian denominations to work together on common issues and to deal with the debate on fundamentalism.

He is happy that during his stay he has managed to achieve closer ties with other churches in Malta and he hoped these will be strengthened further by his successor.

However, his one regret is not having had enough time to touch base with some Anglicans in Malta who are not church-goers, to let them know he was there to help in any way.

Reports say that Christianity was becoming a minority faith all across Europe, as church attendance falls, the clergy ages, and scandals and harsh doctrine drive people away.

Asked about this, Fr Alan said he believed one problem the Church in England had to face was the issue of homosexuality, as well as the debate on women priests.

He said he was personally happy to see women ordained in the Anglican faith, but also believed there should be some places where women ministers should not serve, such as in Malta, where he believed that this could damage ecumenical relations.

As the number of vocations declined, ordaining women could be a step in the right direction, but Fr Alan argues women should not be ordained just to make up the numbers.

He also suggested that the Catholic Church should think long and hard on changing its current stand and allow priests the chance to get married and have a family if they chose to.

On the issue of the congregation's declining faith, Fr Alan pointed out that for centuries people have been endlessly searching for God in different directions.

"They want to find something great in their lives and it is our duty to present God in a way which is right for them," he said.

"There is never a definite answer as to whether God exists or not and you cannot force faith on people, you just have to let them know it's there for them too.

"Somehow we are willing to accept that we are breathing oxygen, even though we do not see it, because scientists say it is oxygen. However if you say Jesus died on the cross, they ask you to prove it and simply won't accept this statement without scientific proof," Fr Alan said.

Fr Alan now hopes to be able to give a new and wider meaning of faith to his diocese in Gibraltar.

His replacement for the time being will be a locum priest - Fr John Wilson, a retired priest living in Norfolk who has helped the local chaplaincy in the past and knows Malta well.

Fr Wilson will remain in Malta until the Bishop appoints a new Chancellor for St Paul's Pro-Cathedral and a Senior Anglican Chaplain to take over early next year.

Fr Alan said he would be delighted if his friends could be present for his last two services: at the Seminary Chapel in Victoria, tomorrow at 11 a.m. and at St Paul's Pro-Cathedral in Valletta on Sunday at 10.45 a.m.