“In these days we will reflect, in particular, on the family, which is the fundamental cell of human society. Since the beginning the Creator gave His blessing to man and woman in order that they be fecund and multiply on earth; and thus is the family represented on earth as the reflection of the Triune God”.
“In our reflection we will always keep in mind the beauty of the family and of marriage, the greatness of this facet of human life, so simple and at the same time so rich, made up of joys and hopes, strife and suffering, like all of life. We will seek to deepen the theology of the family and the pastoral ministry that we must undertake in these current conditions. We will do so in depth and without falling into trap of “case studies”, as this would inevitably lead to a lowering of the level of our work. The family nowadays is regarded with disdain and maltreated, and what we ask for is recognition of how beautiful, true and good it is to form a family, to be a family today; how indispensable this is for the life of the world, for the future of humanity. We are asked to make evident God’s luminous plan on the family and to help married couples experience this with joy in their existence, accompanying them in many difficulties, with a pastoral ministry that is intelligent, courageous and full of love”.
