Pope’s call for more family support

Pope Francis has asked Catholic universities and Catholic couples around the world to support the “Family Global Compact.”

The pope’s call is in line with what The Majellan has been about for more than 70 years: focussing on the family and supporting them with their issues.

Pope Francis said, “It is in the family that many of God’s dreams for the human community are realised. We cannot resign ourselves to the decline of the family in the name of uncertainty, individualism and consumerism, which envision a future of individuals who think only of themselves,” the pope wrote in a letter.

The letter coincided with the launch of the compact by the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life and the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

“We cannot be indifferent to the future of the family as a community of life and love, a unique and indissoluble covenant between a man and a woman, a place where generations meet, a source of hope for society,” Pope Francis added.

Pastoral, social and financial support for families is not a concern only for the church, he said, because strong families have “a positive effect on everyone” and are a key factor in promoting the common good.

“Healthy family relationships represent a unique source of enrichment, not only for spouses and children but for the entire ecclesial and civil community,” the pope said.

The dicastery and the academy of social sciences began working on the global compact in 2021, seeking ways to promote cooperation between those engaged in the pastoral care of families.

The academy called for the church to work to include “the promotion of family well-being” in the UN’s next set of sustainable development goals.

Academy members also saw need for “national action plans to help families meet their basic needs and implement them by allocating a significant amount of their budget to them,” and for the creation of working groups to come up with “family-friendly employment contracts, focusing on concrete actions and preparing positions on key issues that could improve relations between families and businesses.”

Image: The Cruz-Lay family from Australia in St Peter’s Square (CNS/Lola Gomez).

Footnote: Material sourced from United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and CathNews.

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