By Deborah Castellano Lubov
“Everywhere and always, we are called to sustain, defend and promote the family,” Pope Leo XIV reaffirmed in his remarks on Friday morning to the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family.
Observing that the challenges are diverse across different social, economic and cultural contexts, he said that the faithful must support the family at all times, “above all through a way of life coherent with the Gospel.”
The proclamation of the Gospel, which, the Holy Father marvelled, transforms life and society, “commits us to promote organic and concerted actions in support of the family.”
“The quality of a country’s social and political life is,” he underscored, “measured particularly by how it allows families to live well, to have time for themselves, and to cultivate the bonds that keep them united.”
“In a society that often exalts productivity and speed at the expense of relationships,” the Holy Father argued, “it becomes urgent to restore time and space to the love that is learned in the family…”
‘Cherish the joy of bringing a new life into the world’
The Holy Father said he recalled with emotion the words of his predecessor, Pope Francis, “when addressing with tenderness the women awaiting a child, asking them to ‘cherish the joy of bringing a new life into the world.’”
His words, Pope Leo continued, “enclose a truth both simple and profound: human life is a gift and must always be welcomed with respect, care, and gratitude.”
“Therefore, faced with the reality of so many mothers who live pregnancy in conditions of solitude or marginalization,” Pope Leo said, “I feel the duty to recall that the civil community and the ecclesial community must commit themselves with constancy to restore to motherhood its full dignity.”
For this purpose, he said, “concrete initiatives are necessary,” specifically calling for “policies that guarantee adequate living and working conditions; formative and cultural initiatives that recognize the beauty of generating together; and pastoral care that accompanies women and men with closeness and listening.”
“Motherhood and fatherhood, thus safeguarded,” he said, “are by no means burdens weighing upon society, but rather a hope that strengthens and renews it.”
Church’s social doctrine
The Pope reminded the professors and students gathered of the task of deepening the link between the family and the Church’s social doctrine, which he explained could proceed in two complementary directions, “that of inserting the study of the family as an indispensable chapter of the patrimony of wisdom that the Church proposes concerning social life,” and, “conversely, that of enriching this patrimony with family experiences and dynamics, so as to better understand the very principles of the Church’s social teaching.”
“This attention,” Pope Leo observed, “would allow for the development of the intuition recalled by the Second Vatican Council and repeatedly reaffirmed by my predecessors, to see in the family the first cell of society as the original and fundamental school of humanity.”
Jesus is knocking at young people’s hearts
Reflecting pastorally, Pope Leo XIV acknowledged, “we cannot ignore the tendency, in many regions of the world, not to appreciate or even to reject marriage.”
With this in mind, he said, “I would like to invite you to be attentive, in your reflection on preparation for the sacrament of Matrimony, to the action of God’s grace in the heart of every man and woman.”
“Even when young people make choices that do not correspond to the paths proposed by the Church according to the teaching of Jesus,” Pope Leo XIV pointed out, “the Lord continues to knock at the door of their hearts, preparing them to receive a new interior call.”
Your prayerfulness can touch consciences of the young
“If your theological and pastoral research is rooted in prayerful dialogue with the Lord,” Pope Leo marvelled, “you will find the courage to discover new words capable of touching deeply the consciences of the young.”
While the Holy Father observed that our time is marked not only “by tensions and ideologies that confuse hearts,” he highlighted that it likewise is marked “by a growing search for spirituality, for truth and justice, especially among young people.”
“To welcome and care for this desire,” the Pope stated, “is for all of us one of the most beautiful and urgent tasks.”
Listening and prayer
The Pope encouraged those before him to continue the synodal journey as an integral part of formation. “Especially in an international university,” he said, “it is necessary to practice mutual listening in order to discern better how to grow together in the service of marriage and the family.”
Observing there is much to learn with regard to the transmission of faith, the daily practice of listening and prayer, education in love and peace, fraternity with the migrant and the stranger, and care for the planet, the Pope went on to state, “In all these dimensions, family life precedes our study and instructs it, especially through testimonies of dedication and holiness.”
Finally, Pope Leo concluded by urging the students and professors to begin the new academic year with hope, “certain that the Lord Jesus always sustains us with the grace of his Spirit of truth and life.”
The Pontifical Theological Institute “John Paul II” for Studies on Marriage and Family
The Pontifical Theological Institute “John Paul II” for Studies on Marriage and Family was founded by the Apostolic Letter in the form of a Motu Proprio of Pope Francis Summa familiae cura of Sep 8 2017. This Institute succeeds and replaces the Pontifical Institute “John Paul II” for Studies on Marriage and Family, established by the Apostolic Constitution Magnum Matrimonii Sacramentum of Oct 7 1982.
The Institute is divided into a Central Session in Rome, seven extra-urban sessions in the United States (Washington D.C.), Mexico (México D.F., Guadalajara and Monterrey), Spain (with two sessions in Valencia and Madrid), Brazil (Salvador), Benin (Cotonou), India (Changanacherry, Kerala) and Associated Centers in Lebanon (Beirut), the Philippines (Bacolod) and Dominican Republic (Santo Domingo). JP2 collaborates with a Training Center in Kitui, (Kenya). The international structure of the Institute facilitates the mobility of faculty and students for an education that is sensitive to cultural and global challenges. – Vatican News
