AMERICA/PERU - Family Day: Archbishop of Lima exhorts engaged couples to be concerned “with that which unites” and tells parents to be “primary educators” of their children with their example

Lima (Agenzia Fides) – “A society that openly kills the unborn is a sick society.” This is what the Archbishop of Lima, Cardinal Juan Luis Cipriani, said in a radio show “Faith Dialogue” on Saturday, September 12. The Prelate spoke on the theme, commenting the initiative of Bishop Jesus Moline of Chiclayo, who last week presented 33,000 signatures saying 'No' to abortion, to the Peruvian National Congress.
On the occasion of the Family Day, on September 13, the Cardinal sent out a special blessing for all the nation's families and encouraged those who are preparing for marriage to try to discover more of the interior life of the other person, leaving behind all selfishness. There is a need to “be concerned for what is unseen, for their desires, beliefs, for that which unites, in such a way that this love and this marriage can be stable. It is important that you know one another! Seek the love and joy of the other, that which delights the other, in order to offer it to them, leaving behind all selfishness,” Cardinal Cipriani added.
Parents have a great responsibility for educating their children through their example, so that minors may not fall into the nets of the unknown educators, which in many cases deform the truth. “If the example of the parents is convincing, the child will have a profound heart and profound feelings. This part of education today is often overlooked, as parents are no longer at home and leave to go to work. When one overlooks their responsibility to educate, the unknown educators take over – the media, the Internet...” Thus, it is of utmost importance that parents educate their children in the faith, from the beginning. “The first step in faith comes from the parents' being the primary educators of their children and being at home. The child should hear where he came from, who is his Creator and Father and then, children should learn to pray,” he said.
Beginning today, September 14, until September 17, at the Parish of Saint Rose in Lince, there will be Conferences on “The Family and Globalization,” organized by the Family Institute (IFA) of the Pontifical and Civil School of Theology in Lima, along with the Archdiocesan Commission on the Family. Dr. Jose Manuel Rodriguez will speak on “Family, love, and truth” and Dr. Maita Garcia de Flores, on “Learning to live as a family,” and then Jose Antonio Varela on “The family in a globalized world.” (GT) (Agenzia Fides 14/9/2009)