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PONTIFICAL
COUNCIL FOR THE FAMILY
PRESENTATION
OF THE BOOK CONTAINING THE PROCEEDINGS
THIRD WORLD MEETING OF THE HOLY FATHER
It has become traditional for the triennial World Meetings
of the Holy Father with Families to begin with a Theological-Pastoral
Congress. In this way, every three
years, a unique opportunity is offered to reflect in depth on a central theme
of the pastoral care of the family and life. For
this Third World Meeting, which was held in the framework of the Jubilee Year
2000, the reflections of the Congress focused on: Children,
Springtime of the Family and Society. At
the first Meeting (Rome, 1994), on the occasion of the International Year of
the Family, the theme was: The Family:
Heart of the Civilization of Love, while the second (Rio de Janeiro, 1997)
was centered on: The Family: Gift and
Commitment, Hope for Humanity. With regard to the participants in the International
Congress, a crescendo continues to be recorded in the official presence of
delegations representing the Commissions for the Family and Life of the
Bishops’ Conference of the whole world. Delegations
also take part from pro-family and pro-life movements, groups and
associations. This increase in the
number of participants reflects awareness of the importance of this subject
matter for the pastoral care of the whole people of God as well as the
delegations’ desire to be present. The
family, in fact, and the concrete aspect of children, has a crucial dimension,
certainly for society, but no less for the community of believers.
Whereas there were approximately 800 participants in 1994, and over
2,500 in 1997, this time there were more than 5,000: Bishops, priests and lay
persons, both men and women, who are well aware that to carry forward the
cause of the family and life is a matter of momentary enthusiasm, but rather
of a well-formed Christian faith and a life witness that is coherent with the
criteria that spring from the life and doctrine of Christ presented by the
Magisterium of the Church. The speakers at the Congress were pastors, professors and
professionals, experts in the various sciences.
They examined the central theme of children from different viewpoints
in the light of the rich Papal Magisterium on the theme of the family and
life. And so, in the opening session,
after the greetings from the Cardinal Secretary of State, H.E. Angelo Sodano
and H.E. Card. Roger Etchegaray, the President of the Central Committee for
the Jubilee, the President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, H.E.
Card. Alfonso López Trujillo, gave an overall presentation of the theme,
while H.E. Card. Carlo Maria Martini, the Archbishop of Milan, presented the
Biblical vision of the image of God in children.
Other reports were of a philosophical-theological nature, such as those given
by: Prof. Pedro Morandé of the Catholic University of Chile, on children as a
gift of God for the family and humanity; His Excellency Angelo Scola, the Rector
of the Pontifical Lateran University and President of the John Paul II Institute
for Studies on Marriage and the Family, on the genealogy of the person of
children; Prof. Francesco D’Agostino, the Honorary President of the Italian
National Committee for Bioethics, on the rights of children; Rev. Tony
Anatrella, psychoanalyst, on the truth and meaning of sexual education.
In the report by His Excellency Francisco Gil Hellín, the Secretary of
the Pontifical Council for the Family, the theme was examined of the family,
conjugal love and procreation, while His Excellency Carlo Caffarra, the first
President of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family,
delved into the priest’s influence on relations between parents and their
children.
Some reports had a more specific social profile, such as those by Prof. Janne
Haaland Matlary of the University of Oslo, on motherhood, children and service
to society and by His Excellency Renato Martino, with his experience as the
Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, on the five years
following the International Conferences of Cairo and Beijing.
Prof. Alicja Grzeskowiak, the President of the Polish Senate, spoke about
children’s rights and the political world.
Other social aspects were dealt with by Mrs. Kathryn Hoomkwap of Nigeria
on poverty and the family in the Third World, and His Excellency Elden Francis
Curtiss, the Archbishop of Omaha, spoke about initiatives on behalf of abandoned
children.
The Pontifical Academy for Life offered a series of reports regarding its
specific contributions to the cause of life with interventions by His Excellency
Elio Sgreccia, the Vice-President of the Academy, Rev. Angelo Serra, and Prof.
Roberto Colombo.
Regarding the transmission of the faith to children, reports were delivered by
Miss Chiara Lubich, the President of the Focolari Movement, Mr. Kiko Argüello,
the Initiator of the Neocatechumenal Way, and Dr. Salvatore Martínez, the
National Coordinator of Renewal in the Spirit.
On the culture of life and the culture of death, interventions were made
by Msgr. Luigi Giussani, the Founder of Communion and Liberation, Prof.
Alessandro Zuccari, the President of the Community of Sant’Egidio, and Rev.
Marcial Maciel, the Superior General of the Legionaries of Christ.
In addition to the presence of the John Paul II Institute for Studies on
Marriage and the Family in the person of its President, other Institutes for the
family were also represented that have grown up in the pastoral example of John
Paul II either before or after his election as Peter’s Successor: Prof. Wanda
Poltawska attended for the Krakow Institute, of which she was formerly the
directress; His Excellency Agustín García Gasco for the John Paul II Institute
for the Family in Valencia (Spain), of which he is the Vice-Grand Chancellor;
the Directress, Dr. Lydia Jiménez, for the Berit Institute for the Family,
Spain. His Excellency Javier
Echevarría Rodríguez, Prelate, spoke about the relationship between the
Institutes and the Opus Dei Prelature. Each work session of the Congress was presided by a
Cardinal. An entire afternoon was
dedicated to communications on themes such as: educating children in the
faith; disabled children and the family; grandparents in children’s
formation; children in the pastoral care of the divorced; street children;
dialogue between parents and children today. Briefings
were also given on some recent congresses promoted by the Pontifical Council
for the Family: the Second Meeting of Politicians and Lawmakers of Europe
(Vatican, October 1998), and the Third Meeting of Politicians and Lawmakers of
America (Buenos Aires, August 1999).
His Excellency Angelo Comastri, the Papal Delegate for the Shrine of Loreto, and
His Excellency Giacinto–Boulous Marcuzzo, the auxiliary Bishop for Nazareth,
led the participants in prayer at the beginning of the day with reflections on
Biblical passages.
Lastly, a group of couples and speakers was charged with preparing a draft of
the Congress Conclusions and Recommendations as a result of the work,.
Once approved by the assembly, these Conclusions and Recommendations--
which will serve as guidelines for the pastoral work of the National Commissions
and the pro-family and pro-life movements, groups and associations – were
presented the next day, October 14, 2000, to the Holy Father John Paul II during
the festive meeting with the families of the world.
On that occasion, the Pope addressed these words of encouragement to the
families: “Dear friends, let us commit all our forces to defending the value
of the family and respect for human life from the moment of conception. These
are values which belong to the basic ‘grammar’ of dialogue and human
coexistence among peoples”.
The figure of children in the family reflects the quality of a culture. In fact,
children let the value of conjugal self-giving, the true foundation of families,
be seen in society. While the light
of the Gospel emphasizes the transcendental value of children, it also reminds
us that they are the fruit of their parents’ conjugal love: strong families,
bound by love, open to the procreation and education of children.
This is a social value of primary importance in which marriage and the
family are irreplaceable.
Alfonso Cardinal López Trujillo
Most Rev. Francisco Gil Hellín
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