Pope Francis has urged Catholic universities to investigate how different cultures view marriage, saying the Church wants to accompany families on the path to holiness.
Vatican News
Vatican City, Monday, November 25, 2024: Meeting with faculty and staff of the Pope John Paul II Institute for the Sciences of Marriage and Family on Monday, Pope Francis maintained the centrality of the family in the life of the Church.
“We know how decisive marriage and family are for people’s lives: the Church has always cared for, supported and promoted them,” he said.
The Pope regretted that there are countries where public powers “do not respect the dignity and freedom of each human being, to which he has an inalienable right as a child of God.”
She said this attitude results in greater restrictions being placed on women, often confining them to subordinate roles.
Instead of erasing the differences between men and women, the Church teaches that there can be no discrimination between them, the Pope said, because everyone belongs to Christ and is part of God’s redemptive plan.
Supporting those struggling with the wounds of the past
Pope Francis further said that the Gospel of the family is based on the sacrament of marriage, which offers people of all cultures a way to grow in holiness.
“Today the Church does not close its doors to those who struggle on their path of faith,” he said. “Instead, it opens them wide because ‘everyone needs compassionate and encouraging pastoral care.'”
The Pope, citing his Apostolic Letter Amoris Laetitia, invited apostolic workers to accompany people who “live together, postponing indefinitely their marital commitment,” as well as those who have divorced and remarried.
“His presence in the Church testifies to his willingness to remain firm in the faith despite the wounds of traumatic experiences,” he said.
The Pope said that the Church does not exclude anyone, but constantly promotes the family, trying to strengthen the bond of marriage in love.
Study of the culture and perception of marriage and family.
Pope Francis said culture is closely linked to people’s views on marriage and family. So when preaching to a culture, the gospel must be incorporated into the culture.
“Our ability to address these challenges determines the extent to which we can fully fulfill the evangelizing mission of the Church, which includes all Christians,” he said.
The Pontifical Theological Institute of Pope John Paul II can contribute to the Church’s mission of understanding how different societies and cultures view marriage and family, the pope said.
Pope Francis concluded his message by saying: “May the Institute sustain spouses and families in their mission throughout the world, helping them to become living stones of the Church and witnesses of fidelity, service, openness to life and of hospitality.” “Let us walk together in the footsteps of Christ!”
