Vatican City, Apr 3, 2008 / 07:49 am
More than 300 clergy and lay people are gathering Rome over the next two days to examine the indispensable role of grandparents in the Church and in families.
The occasion for the gathering is the 18th plenary assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Family, whose theme is: "The presence and witness of grandparents in families".
On Thursday morning, Archbishop Fernando Filoni, substitute of the Secretariat of State, addressed the gathering on the subject of the role of the elderly in the Church and in society.
Among the lay participants who have been invited to bear witness to the role of grandparents in modern society are the Italian politicians Marcello Pera and Giulio Andreotti, as well as a large number of experts from five continents.