Dublin, 2018 the World Meeting of Families on "The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World"

The event presented today at the Vatican, will be the first after the Synod and the publication of "Amoris laetitia". It is part of a process of discernment and encouragement, accompaniment and animation of families.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - An opportunity to support and encourage families in the task of transmitting and renewing the faith in the face of the many challenges posed by the changing culture of marriage and the family. This is the main goal of the IX World Meeting of Families which will have the theme "The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World" and will be held in Dublin, Ireland, 22 to 26 August 2018, presented today at the Vatican .

The meeting, highlighted Msgr. Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, "is the first large gathering of families in the world after the Synod of Bishops, following which Pope Francis issued the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia that becomes obviously the 'Magna Carta' of 'entire meeting, both in its preparation and in its celebration. " "Amoris laetitia - he added – demands not just a simple updating of family ministry, but much more: a new way to live the Church, a new way of realizing that love that gladdens the life of God's people, families and society. In this sense, the Dublin meeting takes on particular significance compared with other world encounters ".

"At this important moment for the life of the Church the meeting returns to Europe. We can not overlook this detail. " "Celebrating the family - which in Europe is suffering a particularly acute manner- is an extraordinary opportunity to ensure that all the organizations - civil, social, religious, political, economic - rediscover the centrality and strength to be the first gym of peaceful coexistence between differences".

And "Ireland, marked by a delicate moment of transition, can also,  through this World Meeting can help herself, Europe and the world, to find the strength, the energy, the missionary tension, through the rediscovery of the vocation and the mission of the family".

"In the thought of Pope Francis – stated Msgr. Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin - In Pope Francis’ mind, the IX World Meeting of Families in Dublin is not an isolated event. It belongs within a process of discernment and encouragement, of accompaniment and animation of families. It belongs within a programme of renewal of the Church’s pastoral concern and pastoral care for the family and for families. The 2018 World Meeting will be held in Dublin, but it is an event of the entire Church. Hopefully it will be an important milestone in the application of the fruits of the Synodal process and of the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Letitia”.

“The family – he continued -  is not just the object of the attention of the Church. The Synods of Bishops stressed the vital role of families as real protagonists of renewal and of the transmission of the faith to the coming generations. Families do this through being active participants in the ministry of the Church. They do it above all though the authenticity of their daily life in the family and in the home. Spouses witness to God’s tender love through their own mutual love and through the care and formation of their children. The World Meeting of Families must be an occasion to encourage and sustain families in this task.  It is not easy to be a parent in today’s world. Pope Francis’s Apostolic Exhortation contains much that can inspire and accompany parents. Amoris Laetitia contains much beautiful advice on the education of children. In the face of the many challenges of a changing culture of marriage and the family, the Church is called to accompany families in a new way and to enable families to experience more profoundly the joy of living the Gospel of the family. It is also vital that Church and society commit themselves to enabling families to experience that joy more fully through appropriate political, social and economic measures which support families and help remove burdens which families face”.

“The World Meeting of Families in Dublin – he concluded - will hopefully be a festival of witness to the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ. The vocation of Christian couples, supported by the Sacrament of Marriage, is a call to witness to that love and to experience the joy of bringing the love of Jesus to those who are troubled and challenged”.

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