Pope Francis inaugurates the Year “Family Amoris Laetitia” with a message to the participants of a webinar on the theme “Our daily love”, in which he urges everyone to support families and accompany them along the path of life.
By Vatican News staff writer
Five years after the publication of Pope Francis’ post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Amoris laetita, the Vatican inaugurates the “Amoris Laetitia Family” Year. Marking the start of the one-year celebration, Pope Francis sent a message on Friday to participants in a webinar on the topic “Our Daily Love”.
Pope Francis opened his message by greeting the participants and, in particular, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life; Cardinal Angelo De Donatis, Vicar for the Diocese of Rome, and Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, Grand Chancellor of the John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage and Family Sciences – organized the event.
The Pope recalled the publication of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia about the beauty and joy of conjugal and family love, and invited everyone to “live a year of rereading the Document and reflecting on the theme, until the celebration of the Tenth World Meeting of Families, which, God willing, will take place in Rome in June 26, 2022. ”
World Meeting of Families
According to the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, 1994 was declared “International Year of the Family” by the United Nations. Pope John Paul II wanted the Church to celebrate this Year of the Family as well, and so the First World Meeting of Families (FMM) was held. It took place in Rome on October 8 and 9, 1994, under the guidance of the Pontifical Council for the Family, which started to organize all the next MMFs.
Since then, every three years, in different parts of the world, a World Meeting of Families has been held, together with an International Pastoral-Theological Congress. It usually ends with a Family Festival in the presence of the Pope and a final Eucharistic Celebration.
A new look for the family
Pope Francis noted that “the main intention of the Document is to communicate … that today the Church needs a new look at the family”. He stressed that reiterating the value of doctrine is not enough. Instead, we must become “guardians” of the family’s beauty and care for its weaknesses and wounds “with compassion”.
Pope Francis added that there are two aspects at the heart of every family ministry: “the frankness of proclaiming the Gospel and the tenderness of accompaniment”.
He explained that, on the one hand, “we announce to couples, spouses and families a Word that helps them to understand the authentic meaning of union and love, the sign and image of Trinitarian love and the covenant between Christ and the Church. “
On the other hand, noted the Pope, “this announcement cannot and must never be made from above or from outside”. He explained that the Church is incarnated in history, as is its Master. That is why, when he announces the Gospel of the family, he does it by immersing himself in real life, knowing closely the daily struggles of spouses and parents, their problems, their sufferings, all those small and large situations that weigh and sometimes make it difficult your path . “
“Our Daily Love”
It is in this context that everyday love is lived, said the Pope, referring to the title of the webinar. He referred that the title is a significant choice, because it is “the love generated by the simplicity and the silent work of a couple’s life, by that daily and sometimes tiring effort performed by spouses, mothers, fathers and children”. .
He said that if the Gospel is proposed as a “doctrine from above” without entering the “flesh” of everyday life, it risks remaining just a beautiful theory and even being experienced as a moral obligation.
“We are called to accompany, listen to and bless the way of families,” said the Pope. Not just to chart the direction, but to make the journey with them; enter the house with discretion and love, say to the couple: the Church is with you; the Lord is close to you; we want to help you protect the gift you received.
Finally, the Pope exhorted: “Let us support the family! Let us defend you from everything that compromises your beauty. “
And he invited everyone to “approach this mystery of love with admiration, discretion and tenderness. And let us strive to safeguard their precious and delicate bonds: children, parents, grandparents … We need these bonds to live and live well, to make humanity more fraternal ”.