On Saturday 2 December, the Pope met with the Italian Forum of Family Associations, founded in 1992 and which currently covers all regions of the country.
Inese Steinert – Vatican
Addressing the guests, the Bishop of Rome stressed that families need support and favorable policies from the state. It is not a question of “ideology”, but of the real needs of families. Families with many children in difficulty must be supported in a particular way.
“I’m not talking about an ideal family, a family standard that all families should follow in order to be happy. Like every person, every family has its own story and its own path to follow”, explained Francesco. He spoke of the specific situation of many families, where parents and children, grandmothers and grandfathers, but also close relatives, try to move forward every day, not by following worldly examples, but by following a simple style of mutual service.
The Holy Father has invited Catholic family associations to be inspired by the social doctrine of the Church and to always tend towards dialogue. The family must be a factor of fraternity and social friendship, rooted in a specific territory and at the same time open to the world.
Commenting on the dramatic drop in the birth rate in Italy, the Pope highlighted the need for a new policy for the family. Francis expressed satisfaction with the fact that the theme of birth has at least returned to the center of current political problems, also thanks to the commitment of family associations. “Now it is necessary to transform words into deeds”, said the Bishop of Rome:
“We are going through a serious demographic winter, and we need to respond with all our strength, convincing with our work and our ideas. My secretary told me that in those days she met a woman with a pram in St. Peter’s Square. When he looked into the wagon, expecting to see a child, what he saw was a dog. It’s symbolic, that’s why I say: we need children.”
