At a time when the family based on marriage is under particular threat from all sides I am reminded of the statement made by Pope Benedict XVI at the fifth world meeting of families in 2006
‘To help us advance along the path of human maturity, the Church teaches us to respect and foster the marvellous reality of the indissoluble Marriage between man and woman which is also the origin of the Family. To recognise and assist this institution is one of the greatest services which can be rendered nowadays to the Common Good and to the authentic development of individuals and societies, as well as the best means of ensuring the dignity, equality and true freedom of the human person. This being the case, I want to stress the importance and the positive role which the Church’s various family associations are playing in support of Marriage and the Family …’
[Pope Benedict XVI to Fifth World Meeting of Families, 2006]
