Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) - To defend life and the family from the many attacks to which it is subject the Archdiocese of Mexico City had decided to intensify activity of family pastoral and to work harder in parishes to sustain the faith and increase awareness among the people of the significance of life and the family and the necessity to maintain these values as the foundation of society. "We are aware that the family is under attack and when we say family we means life and matrimony because the cases of divorce and broken homes continue to grow in number" said Mgr Enrique Glennie Graue, in charge of family pastoral in the archdiocese of Mexico City and executive secretary of Mexican Bishops' commission for Family Pastoral. After the recent approval of laws in Mexico which endanger life and the family such as the de-penalisation of abortion and now an attempt to legalise euthanasia, the local Church intends to increase awareness than many existing social problems today, particularly with regard to youth, are connected with the aggression on the family.
"It is the Church's duty to defend life and the family because these laws violate human rights" said Mgr Glennie Graue, referring to the efforts on the part of the diocese to increase awareness by means of Family Pastoral which has its basis in the parishes. "We must start this with courses in preparation for marriage to make the couple more aware of the responsibility involved and we must then accompany the marriage in the different stages of life". Every stage has its own difficulties and needs special pastoral attention, as well as pedagogic, psychological, sociologic and moral care.
To work in this direction the Istituto Sedes Sapientiae of the archdiocese of Mexico City will include in its summer courses the subject "The Family: challenges and prospers for Pastoral Care today " which is also part of preparation for the next Catholic World Meeting for Families which will be held in Mexico 2009. The course will be based on various texts including a new national directory for family pastoral valid for the Church all over Mexico. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 30/6/2007; righe 28, parole 365)
