Vatican unveils final plans for Milan meeting of families
May 22, 2012
At a May 22 press conference in Rome, Vatican officials outlined final plans for the 7th World Meeting of Families, which will be held in Milan from May 30 to June 3.
Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, the president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, concentrated on practical preparations for the event, and initiatives that have been introduced since the last such meeting, held in Mexico City in 2009. For example, catechetical sessions will now be translated into Italian, French, English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Arabic and Russian.
Cardinal Antonelli also unveiled a new publication, titled the Enchiridon, which amasses the Church’s teaching statements of marriage and family life from the pontificates of John Paul II and Benedict XVI. He also introduced The Family, A Resource for Society, a volume that presents new research showing “the different contributions, positive and negative, which the various forms of family and cohabitation bring to society.”
Cardinal Angelo Scola, who as Archbishop of Milan will host the event, said that 7th World Meeting of Families has drawn attention because of a growing recognition that the family is “an indispensable resource, a ‘social capital,’ which requires specific policies—perhaps also as a result of the serious economic crisis we are in.” Expanding on the theme, the cardinal said: "The family founded on faithful marriage between a man and a woman, and open to life, over and above all the cultural developments that have affected it, still imposes itself as the best way to generate and raise children.”
Cardinal Scola reported that at least 300,000 people are expected to attend the event in Milan. More than 1 million are expected for the Mass at which Pope Benedict XVI will preside.
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