.- Experts
and students in the field of marriage and family study from around the
world are meeting in Rome this week for a congress sponsored by the
John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the
Family--currently celebrating its 25th anniversary.
Earlier today Pope Benedict XVI met with participants, stressing the importance of marriage for the overall good of society.
The theme of the
congress is, "The heritage of John Paul II on marriage and the family:
to love human love." The institute currently has campuses in the U.S.,
Mexico, India, Benin, Australia, Spain and Brazil.
The Holy Father
began his address recalling that on the day of the assassination
attempt on him in May of 1981, John Paul had planned to announce the
foundation of the institute during his general audience.
Benedict moved
on to highlight two major ideas which mark "the novelty of John Paul
II's teaching on human love." The first, is that "marriage and the
family are rooted in the most intimate core of truth about man and his
destiny." The second element is "that Christ, fullness of the Father's
revelation of love, also reveals the full truth of man's vocation of
love, which can only be completely achieved in the sincere giving of
self."
Pope Benedict
recalled his own Encyclical "Deus caritas est", which suggests that
"the close relationship between the image of God Love and human love
enables us to understand that 'corresponding to the image of a
monotheistic God is monogamous marriage.”
“Marriage”, he
said, “based on exclusive and definitive love becomes the icon of the
relationship between God and His people and vice versa. God's way of
loving becomes the measure of human love'."
He explained
that "This idea has still largely to be explored," adding that the
institute's task is "to illuminate the truth of love as a road to
completeness in all forms of human existence.”
“Authentic
love”, he said, “becomes a light guiding all life to its fulfillment,
creating a society in which mankind can live. The communion of life and
love that is marriage is thus ... a real good for society."
The Holy Father
concluded his address saying that "Avoiding confusion with other kinds
of union based on a weak form of love is, today, particularly urgent.
Only the rock of complete and irrevocable love between man and woman is
capable of acting as a foundation for a society that can be home to all
human beings."
Pope Benedict stresses importance of marriage as a great ‘good for society’
Related news
- Boston Cardinal, local Catholics to support a ballot vote on marriage
- U.S. Bishops urge national Catholic support for federal marriage amendment
- Marriage: a lifelong union of a man and a woman joined in an intimate community of life and love, say Arizona Bishops
- More than 50 percent of marriages in which the couples lived together before they married end in divorce, James Healy, director of the Office of Family Ministry for the Diocese of Joliet, told a group
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