Pope Francis reflects on the family and communication

January 23, 2015

In his message for the World Day of Social Communications, which will take place in May, Pope Francis reflected on the encounter between the Blessed Virgin Mary and her cousin Elizabeth in discussing the family and communication.

“The womb which hosts us is the first ‘school’ of communication, a place of listening and physical contact where we begin to familiarize ourselves with the outside world within a protected environment, with the reassuring sound of the mother’s heartbeat,” he said.

The Pope compared the family to a “a womb made up of various interrelated persons” in which people learn to communicate in their mother tongue and discussed various aspects of communication in families, including prayer, closeness, forgiveness, and blessing, rather than gossip.

“Families who have children with one or more disabilities have much to teach us,” he continued. “A motor, sensory or mental limitation can be a reason for closing in on ourselves, but it can also become, thanks to the love of parents, siblings, and friends, an incentive to openness, sharing and ready communication with all.”

The Pope also reflected on modern social media as both a help and hindrance to communication.

“Families should be seen as a resource rather than as a problem for society,” he concluded. “Families at their best actively communicate by their witness the beauty and the richness of the relationship between man and woman, and between parents and children. We are not fighting to defend the past. Rather, with patience and trust, we are working to build a better future for the world in which we live.”

 

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Further information:

• “Communicating the Family: A Privileged Place of Encounter with the Gift of Love” (Holy See Press Office, scroll down for English)
• Background: World Communications Day (CWN, 5/10/13)