With Rome Synod on their minds, Filipino Catholics discuss marriage and family
Manila (AsiaNews / CBCP) - The Archbishop of Manila Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle and President of the Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Msgr. Socrates B. Villegas will be the main speakers at the second national conference on marriage and the family.
At least a thousand delegates from around the country, representatives of religious groups, scholars, university professors, social scientists and ordinary citizens are expected to attend the event, sponsored by the MEFP Foundation (Marriage Encounter Foundation of the Philippines) and scheduled for July 25 to Center Park Hotel in Manila.
Mons. Villegas, Archbishop of Lingayen - Dagupan, will speak on the theme "Proclaiming the Gospel in today's family in its various contexts," while Cardinal Tagle will illustrate measures to enrich and strengthen the family in the Philippines. At the end of the interventions the archbishop of Manila to preside over the solemn Eucharistic celebration.
MEFP President couple Robert and Tinette Aventajado, in an interview with CBCP News, said the whole day event has “The Gospel of the Family Today” as its theme, which is taken from the Lineamenta of the forthcoming Synod on the Family held in October 2015.
The couple hopes that the event dedicated to the family may provide useful insights to the work of the bishops gathered in Rome. It will also address various issues related to the pastoral concern that Filipino face families today; the aim is also to formulate programs of spiritual enrichment for spouses and families, which can be implemented by religious groups around the country.
There will be four elements in the center of the discussion: Pastoral Care for Couples Civilly Married or Living Together; the care of wounded families (separated, divorced, single parents); pastoral care of persons with homosexual tendencies; problems inherent to the decline in fertility and the falling birth rate.
The theme of family, birth, sex and paternity awareness has long been at the center of discussion in the Philippines, the only country with a large Catholic majority in Asia, where it is undergoing a bitter clash between the Church and Parliament over the controversial Law on Reproductive Health. The rule prohibits abortion clinical but invites couples to have no more than two children. In addition it requires health centers to supply condoms and birth control pills for free.
The Conference will include sessions on marriage preparation for young engaged couples and the accompaniment of the newlyweds during the first years of marriage. Fr Anton CT Pascual, executive director and CBCP president of Radio Veritas, will speak of "Upbringing and the Role of the Family in Evangelization".
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