Pastoral message for rediscovering the value of the family
Bangkok (AsiaNews) For the Church in Thailand 2004 will be a year dedicated to the family.
The announcement was made by Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu, president of the Thai Catholic Bishops' Conference, last Dec. 28., on the feast of the Holy Family. Meanwhile, a pastoral guideline on family life, the community, dioceses and nation has been published and is being distributed.
Next Aug.17-22 the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences (FABC) will hold its 8th Plenary Assembly in Korea. This year's topic will be "Family: Leading to a Culture of Life."
The Thai Catholic Bishops' Conference has already begun organizing preparatory documents for the Plenary Assembly; at the end of last September it dedicated the this year's theme to a seminar analyzing Thai Society and the way in which it promotes the family.
The pastoral guideline being distributed this month presents theological and canonical aspects of the Christian family: the family, as an image of the Trinity, is nourished by praying and reading the Word of God together.
Regarding parish communities, it is said that they must provide faithful with catechism programs, promote groups for praying and sharing personal experiences together, as well as interaction between the youth and elderly, grandparents and grandchildren; priests and community leaders must visit families more often in order build more solid relationships with them.
At the diocesan level, priests responsible for pastoral care will be required to have much experience, as such care is considered to be of utmost importance, also due to the bitter situation affecting Thai families throughout the country.
According to figures released by the Thai Ministry of the Interior, the country's divorce rate is growing each year: 1993 (9.6 %), 1994 (11%), 1995 (11.37%), 1996 (12.98%), 1997 (15.71%), 1998 (20.8 %), 1999 (17.32%), 2000 (21.01%) and 2001 (23.4%). In addition, the statistics show that since 1997 the number of marriages has decreased by about 50,000 couples. In 1993, 484,569 marriages were celebrated compared to 324,661 in 2001. These figures do not include unwed couples.
Some years ago the Church undertook a program which became for poplar among the Thai people: the renewal of marriage vows. This ceremony occurs on St. Valentine's Day, involving couples celebrating their 10th or 25th wedding anniversary. Even this St. Valentine's Day there will be a mass celebrated. Unwed couples are also invited to the vow ceremony. The "St. Valentine's" program is particularly geared toward them. They are asked to attend a catechism course, practice their faith again and get married in the Church. Hence, many couples have started practicing their faith again.
Among the problems negatively affecting families are those tied to economics and raising children. The latter is difficult especially for mixed marriages in which one of the parents (the father in particular) is Buddhist. In Thai culture male children are poorly looked upon if they break away from traditions of the father's side of the family. Yet sometimes it does not make sense to follow the Buddhist tradition. At a father's funeral, for example, sons must cut their hair, wear a Buddhist monk's gown, go to temple and say Buddhist prayers. All this goes against belonging to the Catholic faith.
Another major problem in Thai society is prostitution, fostered by the fact that there are more women than men in the country, the practice of polygamy and the presence of poverty.
Poverty and ignorance, which particularly afflict rural areas, lead parents to sell their own children, who are still adolescents, to prostitution rings sometimes for even less than 200 dollars.
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