Pope to Forum of Families: ‘Thank you for your efforts!’
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| Pope Francis meets with the Forum of Family Associations. (Vatican Media) |
On Saturday, Pope Francis met in the Sala Clementina with
members of the Forum of Family Associations celebrating its twenty-fifth
anniversary in Italy thanking them for their advocacy for family values.
By Sr Bernadette Mary Reis, fsp
Pope Francis set his prepared remarks aside after hearing
the passion spoken by the member of the association who introduced the group to
the Pope. The following are the remarks prepared in advance by the Pope, and given
to the representative of the association to be distributed.
Family is centre of God's plan
“The family, which you promote in various ways, is at the
centre of God’s plan,” are the words with which Pope Francis opened his
prepared remarks to members of the Forum of Family Associations. The Pope
received the group in the Sala Clementina on the occasion of their twenty-fifth
anniversary.
Cradle of life
Pope Francis called the family “the cradle of life”. Jesus’
love for children, his teaching on the family and the indissolubility of
marriage reveal the family’s place in God’s plan. “It is like a window which is
directed toward the mystery of God Himself which is Love in the unity and
trinity of Persons”, he said.
A world guided by self-centered logic has lost the sense of
stable bonds, the Pope continued. This makes it difficult to understand the
value of the family. Civil institutions should rather work toward providing
families with adequate support. Those who have learned “to live authentic
relationships within the family” will also live them in other contexts in
society, he said.
Testify to the joy of love
Pope Francis then encouraged those present to testify to the
joy of love. “There is no more persuasive argument than joy” with which to
“indicate the treasure that we have discovered and wish to share”, he said.
‘Thank you for your efforts!’
The Pope also expressed his gratitude to the group. Citing
the Statutes of the Association, he said, “thank you for the commitment you
have taken on, … through an ‘active and responsible participation of the family
in the cultural, social, and political spheres’ and for the ‘promotion of
adequate family policies that protect and sustain the functions of the family
and its rights’.”
Family rights rooted in the dignity of every person
Concluding his remarks, the Pope said that the problems
families find in society need to be confronted “firmly and charitably”. “The
sensitivity you bring to society regarding the family cannot be labelled
‘confessional’,” the Pope said. Rather it is rooted “on the dignity of the
human person. Thus, it can be recognized and shared by all".
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