Lima, Peru, May 17, 2005 / 22:00 pm
In message sent to bishops gathered in Lima for the 50th anniversary of the Latin America Bishops Conference, Pope Benedict XVI exhorted them to defend marriage and the Christian family from “ideologies and practices” that undermine their foundations and to promote priestly vocations.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America read the message to the more than 100 bishops and hundreds of invited guests present for the meeting.
In his greeting, the Pope exhorted the bishops to reflect upon “the pastoral care of the family, under assault in our times by grave challenges represented by the different ideologies and practices that undermine the very foundations of marriage and the Christian family.”
“A special emphasis must be placed on family catechesis and on the promotion of a positive and correct vision of marriage and conjugal morality, thus contributing to the formation of genuinely Christian families who stand out for their living of the Gospel values. The Christian family, a true domestic church, should also be the seed bed of abundant and holy vocations,” the Pontiff wrote.