San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, in response to news that came out about Italy’s declining birth rate, is advocating for mothers.

“Each of our mothers are each a sign of hope,” Salvatore Cordileone said on Twitter. He also posted a link to the Catholic News Agency’s coverage of a two-day gathering where Italy focused on how to reverse the trend that is plaguing its nation.

Pope Francis was among those who spoke at the Foundation for Natality and the Italian Forum of Family Associations’ annual meeting, urging couples to consider having more children so the population can thrive. This year’s main topic was the General State of the Birth Rate, according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

“The birth of children, in fact, is the main indicator for measuring the hope of a people,” Pope Francis said during the conference, a report in the National Catholic Register said. “If few are born it means there is little hope. And this not only has repercussions from an economic and social point of view, but also undermines confidence in the future.”

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni joined Pope Francis at the conference on the second day to discuss Italy's decline in birth rate.

Statistics show that only 393,000 births – an all-time low – were recorded in Italy in the previous year, the USCCB statement said. Italy's fertility rate of 1.24 live births per woman is also among the lowest in Europe, the Italian National Institute of Statistics’ numbers show. Meanwhile, the mortality rate has gone up.

Meloni called on the citizens of Italy nation to give parenthood more consideration. Parenthood “isn't uncool, but is a socially recognized value,” she said.

Italians who have responded to surveys about the matter cite financial challenges of raising a child and the burden of caring for elderly parents as reasons for the declining birth rate.

Meloni has shown support for a plan to boost the country's birth rate to 500,000 per year within a decade, Yahoo News said in a report.