Rome, 26 December 2021 (dpa/MIA) - Pope Francis expressed his concern about falling birth rates in comments on Sunday. "Many couples prefer not to have a child or to have only one child. This is a tragedy," Francis said after the traditional Angelus prayer, addressing thousands of people as rain fell on St Peter's Square. Pope Francis was referring to the falling birth rate in Italy in particular, in a trend possibly related to the pandemic. Francis spoke of a "demographic winter" that must be overcome for the good of the family and the future. He also wrote a letter to married couples that was published on Sunday, writing that "children are always a gift." "For parents, it is important to relate to children with an authority that grows day by day," he wrote. "Children need a sense of security that can enable them to have confidence in you and in the beauty of your life together, and in the certainty that they will never be alone, whatever may come their way."