Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Valencia (Fides Service) - Preparations are underway for the 5th World Meeting For Families to be held in Valencia, Spain, in 2006, the archbishop’s office in Valencia told Fides. The event to be held in July next year will focus on the handing down of the faith in the family. This international event comes at a time when many countries are considering changes in legislation contrary to the Christian understanding of marriage and the family.
During a meeting on 21 January 2005, the Archbishop of Valencia Augustin Garcia-Gascon, the president of the province, the mayor of Valencia and civil authorities established the Foundation for the 5th World Meeting of Families to coordinate preparations for the event.
During a plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Family in Rome, the Archbishop of Valencia presented the official web site www.wmf2006.org offering all kinds of information on the World Meeting for Families in 5 languages, Spanish, French, English, German and Italian. The web site will be updated regularly as dates and venues are set. It will show how these international meetings developed. Visitors can also take part in interactive dialogue and send in their own testimony of family life or experience at previous world Meetings for Families. Information includes also a ten minute video about the meeting. Copies of the video, available in eight languages, have been sent to every diocese in Spain and to Bishops’ offices the world over. A DVD version will be soon available.
Initiatives for the promotion of the family undertaken by the archdiocese of Valencia include the Juan Pablo II Pontifical Institute for Studies in Marriage and the Family, courses of preparation for marriage and parenthood and a Family Forum which brings together about 100 Catholic pro-family associations and movements present in the diocese. The Forum aims to make families the face of the Church with regard to protection for the human person, marriage and life.
World Meetings for Families are held every three years. The previous events were held in Rome 1994, Rio di Janeiro 1997, Rome 2000 and Manila 2003. Pope John Paul II presided the first three. The meeting consists of five main events: an international theological-pastoral congress; a children’s congress; celebration of the Eucharist for pilgrim families; an encounter-feast with testimonials; the main celebration of the Eucharist presided by the Pope or papal envoy, concelebrated by cardinals, bishops and priests from various parts of the world.
(RG) (Agenzia Fides, 07/02/2005 - righe 29 parole 292)
