The Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life have jointly published a new document offering guidelines for families related to the care for creation and human life.
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Marriage, like every vocation, “can only arise from a personal encounter with Christ,” with the Church offering the “precious tools” of community and witness to foster that experience, said the head of the Vatican’s key office for marriage and family life.
Being a Christian means recognizing every person as a brother or sister and always being ready to lend a helping hand, Pope Leo XIV said.
A society cannot pretend to be pro-family if it does not adopt policies that allow parents and children to spend time together rather than always being worried about work, Pope Leo XIV said.
What began as a handful of Catholic couples seeking fellowship has grown into a faith-filled community where marriages have been strengthened, children have been raised, and friendships have endured for generations. For five decades, the CANA Club has woven a tapestry of faith and fellowship, shaping not only the lives of its members but also the families and parishes that surround them.
Six years ago, Marcus Robinson and a few other dads organized a short pilgrimage for their sons. The boys loved it so much that they did the same pilgrimage the following year, and the year after that, inviting more and more people each year.
The strength of families and their ability to thrive and witness as a “domestic Church” require support from the wider Church and from governments, particularly in the face of poverty, Pope Leo XIV said.
The Catholic Church, its ministers, and its members must find new ways to reach out to and welcome families who are distant from the Church and have no understanding of how much God loves them, Pope Leo XIV said.
Before Bishop Gregory Kelly was a priest or bishop, he was a boy in Colorado Springs playing kick the can, tossing baseballs, and pretending to be adventurers with his siblings; but even in those early days, his siblings said, hints of Bishop Kelly’s future vocation were already emerging.
A decline in religion will likely deepen Ireland’s demographic crisis, according to a new study by a pro-family and pro-life Irish institute.