Good advice from Pope Benedict

Worried about declining Christian populations?

Pope Benedict XVI told Catholics to have more babies "for the good of society," saying that some countries were being sapped of energy because of low birth rates.

"Having children is a gift that brings life and well-being to society," he told about 15,000 people at his weekly audience in the Vatican, to which he arrived by helicopter from his summer residence southeast of Rome.

He said the decline in the number of births "deprives some nations of freshness and energy and of hopes for the future incarnate in children."

It's also a good way to make sure that Islam doesn't swamp a post-Christian world. Islamic birth rates are generally much higher in Europe.