The Transmission of Faith in the Family

by Pontifical Council for the Family

Following the convocation by the Pontifical Council for the Family, in collaboration with the Archdiocese of Valencia, the World Theological-Pastoral Congress took place from 4-7 July 2006 on the theme, "The Transmission of Faith in the Family". A great number of Cardinals, Archbishops, Bishops, university professors, priests and men and women religious took part, and especially families from the most diverse parts of the world, for a total of approximately 9,000 participants.

During these four days, experts presented eight general papers on the subjects that had been entrusted to them. We listened to the testimonies of people who belong to very different groups, new ecclesial realities and family associations, as well as presentations regarding the experience of the pastoral care of the family in different parts of the world. The thematic groups reflected on some of today's most urgent questions.

At the same time, two other congresses were held: a Children's Congress on the situation of youth in today's world, their role in the family and the transmission of faith, and a Congress for Elders, which dealt with the problems of grandparents and their contribution to family life.

At this moment, we express our sorrow for the railway tragedy that occurred on the first days of this World Meeting in which many people died and others were seriously injured. We are united in prayer to the Lord to grant eternal glory to the souls of the deceased and consolation to their grief?stricken families and relations.

A presentation follows of the Conclusions of the Theological-Pastoral Congress divided into three parts.

I. Introduction.

Families Today: Crisis and Vitality

1. The Congress clearly pointed out the existence of a paradoxical situation in contemporary culture with regard to the family. Its importance is noted very clearly. We find ourselves in a period of great technological advances, great social changes, important migratory movements and in-depth cultural exchanges. This whole series of factors leads to thinking of a transition towards a new stage in civilization that calls for the presence of men and women with strong personalities who are capable of facing and guiding the changes. The family, as the privileged place for forging the personality, thus appears to be a reality with a decisive value.

2. At the same time, it was noted that the family is subjected to a crisis unprecedented in history. The reasons for this crisis are not found so much in the social and demographic changes as in the cultural and ideological factors. Specifically, the pressure is well known which is exerted, on the one hand, by the consumer mentality that tends to blur and eliminate values, making comfort and pleasure the goal in life; on the other hand, by the persistent action of a kind of laicism with nihilistic and relativist roots, which aspires to destroy the traditional understanding of the family as a community that grows from love and is open to the transmission of life, in order to replace it with an individualistic view of the union between a man and a woman.

3. The Congress strongly denounced this ideological pressure and urged intellectuals, those responsible for culture and governments to become aware of the family's importance and contribute to its development. At the same time, the Congress lived these days with deep joy. The Theological-Pastoral Congress, together with the Children's and the Elders' Congresses and the Fair for Families, were a manifestation of spiritual riches and vitality. Families from all over the world experienced in this meeting that many happy, generous families exist everywhere, and the boost to family life derived from the Christian faith was demonstrated.

4. The Congress recognized that some of the prevailing values in different countries, especially the more developed ones, are in contradiction with the values that characterize the Christian understanding of the family. The crisis of the family is the result of an anthropological crisis that humanity is undergoing today. This, in turn, is a result of what can be defined as "the principle of autonomy": that is, an approach whereby the only limit to ones' actions is harm to a third party, ignoring the existence of norms and transcendental values and thus making it impossible to qualify the conceptions about life as good or better than their opposites. The logical consequence is relativism and subjectivism from which the assertion is derived that any tie that transcends the will of the subjects is a form of violence or slavery. The critique of marriage is based on this mentality, which attempts to replace it with unions that are free or dissolved quickly by making divorce extremely easy to obtain.

5. The Congress proclaimed at the same time that Christians, men and women, elders and youth, parents and children, find the light and strength in Christ not only to resist the pressure that comes from many different environments, but also to promote a deep revitalization of our society. Jesus Christ reveals the definitive truth about man and hence the truth about the family, its most profound truth, which is valid not only for Christians but for the whole of humanity. Faith, which implies fidelity and trust in God, leads to overcoming fear, recognizing the value of life, including incipient life, and facing the future confidently. The Congress thus urged Christian families, those who took part in its sessions and the many other families spread out all over the world, to be aware of the important mission incumbent upon them in service to the Church and the whole of humanity.

6. The Lord has entrusted the Gospel to the whole Church. This task is addressed to all Christians, with no exceptions. All believers need to be aware of this responsibility, which affects the different areas of life and, in a very special way, the family. In commenting on Redemptor Hominis, the Letter to Families states that among the many paths of the Church, "the family is the first and the most important" (n. 2). The family is for love and for life. In the family one experiences and learns that life develops better not when it is kept selfishly, but when it is given generously. In the Christian family, by contemplating and loving their children, parents learn the joy of life from them and the riches found in generosity and the humble, simple awareness of filiation. Children, in turn, by contemplating their parents and grandparents, learn to pray and live from them. They see that they are part of a tradition, the tradition of the Church that communicates faith in Christ to them and unites them to him.

7. The family implies commitment and hence, marriage, the union between a man and a woman assumed in a stable way before society for life. This is by natural inclination, which is taken up and elevated by Christ to a sacrament. Uniting itself to the whole Christian tradition summed up in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and proclaimed repeatedly by John Paul II and Benedict XVI, the Congress made its own, with complete sincerity and depth, the Christian evaluation of marriage and the family, with the awareness that this is the way to overcome the current crises and problems.

8. For this reason, the Congress encouraged all Christians to deepen their faith intellectually and vitally in order to be able to educate others in the faith.

II. Current Problems and Challenges for the Family

9. Both in the conferences and especially in the thematic groups, current questions and problems were taken up that affect family life and, in some cases, hinder the family's mission to transmit the faith, especially to their children. We will summarize the main points.

Marriage and civil legislation

10. The Congress recalled that society must tend toward the common good and the fundamental importance of marriage and the family. Over the ages, the fundamental reality has been taken into account that a man and woman, joined together by mutual consent, give rise to the family, a source of life and social development. At present, in many States, because of an ambiguous interpretation of the principle of equality and the consideration that no sexual practice should be excluded, a change in the configuration of marriage is advocated that goes so far as to make it equivalent to homosexual unions.

11. The family, the human community par excellence, is made up by the father and the mother, from whom children are born, who are each loved for himself/herself. The family transcends individuality. The Church, the depositary of the Christian message, reinforces and enlightens the basic principles of married life, together with the equality and inviolability of its rights.

12. The questions highlighted above do not affect only one State, but many. By way of example, the Congress cited the resolution of the European Parliament that attempts to impose on the State Members the equivalency between married couples and homosexual unions, the fruit of a false conception both of human sexuality and the State's laicism. The danger of a value-free social life is that it favours a kind of overt or covert totalitarianism. In view of this, the Church proclaims and defends tirelessly the fundamental rights of every person.

The family and social justice

13. As the basic cell of society, the family is a special subject of social justice. According to the social doctrine of the Church, based on natural law, parents have the right and duty to educate their children. Parents have the mission to form them in faith. The freedom to transmit the faith in the context of the family is a decisive point in true religious freedom. Parents must take on this mission both in the home, by making careful use of the means of social communication and Internet, and by following carefully the formation given in schools and other educational centres.

14. The Congress asked society to make efforts so that the family can be present, in each case in its own way, in collective action as a whole, and bring its energies and vitality that can contribute so much to overcoming the individualistic and consumer mentality. In this respect, the Congress praised the action of groups, new ecclesial realities and family associations.

Marriage and the economy

15. The economic question has always been a theme of great importance for the family. The family is the place where wealth is produced and sustainable development is assured. Over the course of history, this production, which once came from agriculture and handicrafts, has become industrial, with implications for family life since life in large cities makes intergenerational solidarity and reciprocity difficult.

16. It was noted in several interventions that today, in many countries, well-being is measured by the GIP (Gross Internal Product). This indicator, however, does not include domestic production, in particular by mothers, when in reality this activity is absolutely necessary and the source of that fundamental wealth which are persons. Professional work outside the home, a fully legitimate reality, should not go to the detriment of care for children. If there is a desire to give families the recognition they deserve, society needs to get organized so that this objective can be met.

Bioethical developments and married life

17. Medical and biological research has brought great advances, but also new ethical problems that affect family life very directly. In modern systems, the most proclaimed and, at the same time, the most violated right is the right to life and personal integrity. On the other hand, it is a fact that at present problems of great significance regarding bioethics and the family have arisen that are not always adequately regulated. A pro-abortion mentality exists which promotes exactly what is contrary to the true family and incites a mother to end the life of the child in her womb. The Congress denounced the campaigns in favour of contraception and abortion and stated that they constitute a clear attack not only on life, but also on the very existence of families.

18. Something similar occurs with regard to euthanasia and the tendency to eliminate those human beings considered handicapped or a burden for society. Giving way in the face of suffering or approaching death constitutes a tremendous existential defeat that shows a lack of deep human and Christian resources. The Church considers human life a primary good, the presupposition of all the other goods. For this reason she calls for respect for life both at its beginning and at its end.

19. The promotion of a mentality was also denounced whereby every man or woman has a right to have a child regardless of his or her situation, forgetting that a child is not its parents' property, but a gift they receive from the Creator. Artificial reproduction techniques and cloning are very grave attacks on the dignity of the human person. Human beings, by their very nature, need to be born as the fruit of a real relationship between persons and in a marriage. The consequences to which the above-mentioned mentality leads — renting uteruses, the destruction of embryos — show how far human behaviour can go when it forgets the value of the person.

The family and demography

20. During the Congress, experts in the field of demography pointed out the grave crisis implied by the aging population in a great number of nations, especially in the most developed world. The decrease in fertility affects the economy and, at the same time, causes negative effects on personal life, the family community and society. Without overlooking the importance of demographic questions, the Congress stated that society must face them with an ethical attitude and always give value to the human person, thus rejecting contraception, sterilization, abortion and, in general, neo-Malthusian approaches.

21. There is a clear connection between the transmission of life and the transmission of faith. When marriage is open to the gift of life, that is, the gift God makes in giving life, it is in a position to develop a pedagogy of life that is the way for the transmission of faith. It should not be forgotten, moreover, that in families that generously welcome the gift of life, it is more likely to find the conditions that favour vocations both to Christian marriage and to the priesthood and Religious life.

The family and ecumenism

22. We were able to note that the themes of the family and the defense of life are a patrimony common to all. In fact, we know the joys and hopes of families as well as the very grave difficulties they have to face today. For this reason we felt the need for a common commitment for the future, as well as for its stability and indispensable mission, both in our respective Ecclesial Communities and in the world.

23. By working together, all believers in Jesus Christ will be able to promote respect for fulfilling the commands of God's laws and to fight in favour of human life and natural law with regard to marriage and the rights of the family. Therefore, we need to develop various forms of strong collaboration with other Christians, especially in the parishes and through families.

24. This kind of family ecumenical collaboration does not jeopardize the transmission of faith in the family. On the contrary, practicing the law of charity towards all the families of good will can enrich the Christian family's life and develop its mission in today's world.

III. The Transmission of Faith and Christian Witness

25. The analysis of the questions mentioned makes an in-depth consideration possible in order to deal with the theme of the family as the place for the transmission of faith to children. This was spoken about to a great extent in the Congress, especially in the testimonies given by families, groups of new ecclesial realities and family movements, and in the presentation of pastoral experiences in different countries.

26. The family has always been a privileged channel for the transmission of the Gospel. Parents transmit their faith by being and living like real Christians. When children perceive the generosity and Christian meaning of life through the words and behaviour of their parents and grandparents, they gradually learn to follow their example and are oriented towards religious values and sacramental life: the meaning of God's fatherhood, love for the Eucharist, devotion to Our Lady, love of neighbour, etc.

27. For all this, the family, as the Congress stressed, is the basic reality with regard to the transmission of the faith, both in countries where the Christian faith is lived as a majority and in de-Christianized areas where concrete families, like the seed of a new society, become real schools of evangelization. Starting from family life, children begin a path of learning and deepening of the faith that continues in the parishes and other ecclesial institutions.

28. In the Congress, the appearance of new initiatives was indicated aimed at facilitating the families in the transmission of faith, also in places where Christianity is not very widespread or where it is threatened by great secularization. Specialized centres are arising for family formation and other aid for the family both in its beginning and subsequent life: marriage preparation courses, centres or short courses for matrimonial spirituality, spiritual retreats in which special attention is given to the theme of the family, schools or courses for parents, etc. Christian families are in contact with the desire to help one another to deepen the life of faith and the mission to transmit it.

29. Some initiatives by Dioceses were mentioned in detail that make the pastoral care of the family one of the main points of their activity. This is the case for the Commissions for the Family that have arisen in various Bishops' Conferences. Moreover, a growing concern has been instilled to improve the catechetical contents and methods of preparation for the sacraments of Christian initiation. The parishes are a favourable place for making bonds of friendship, charity and support among families, and for encouraging the evangelizing commitment.

30. Lastly, the Congress recognized the important role of schools and religion classes. It also pointed out that families have to follow the instruction very closely that is given in schools, both in religious classes and in the other subjects, especially the ones that have a direct relation to the person, such as sex education, which is the right and duty of parents. Hence the importance of parents' associations and the need, especially in some cases, for families to complete the formation their children receive in schools through family catechesis.

31. In pluralistic societies, like almost all societies today, Catholic families find themselves living close to other Christian families or families that belong to other religions. They share the same problems and, in many countries, have to face the challenges of the secularist mentality. In these cases, it seems useful to promote an ecumenical sensitivity on the level of families so that by working together, believers in Christ can promote respect for marriage and family values in the entire society. In this context, Catholic families will give a clear example of the reality of their faith and reveal all its riches.

32. We wish to thank Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, and Most Rev. Agustin Garcia-Gasco Vicente, Archbishop of Valencia, and their collaborators, for the organization of this World Congress. We would also like to express our thanks to all the speakers and families that have taken part in it. The family that transmits the faith is a guarantee of hope for the future of humanity and the Church.

© L'Osservatore Romano

This item 7140 digitally provided courtesy of CatholicCulture.org