Vatican City, May 16, 2008 / 08:54 am
Upon receiving representatives of the Forum of Family Associations and the European Federation of Catholic Family Associations today, the Holy Father addressed the needs of the family while bringing to mind the words of Pope John Paul II, “the future of humanity passes by way of the family.”
Pope Benedict addressed the representatives participating in the conference entitled: “Alliance for the Family in Europe, associations in the leading role,” recalling how the conference aims to raise “the awareness of political leaders and public opinion on the central and irreplaceable role that the family plays in our society.”
The Holy Father also noted that 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of Paul VI's Encyclical "Humanae vitae," and the 25th anniversary of the promulgation of the "Charter of the Rights of the Family," presented by the Holy See in 1983.
The Charter of the Rights of the Family is “principally addressed to political leaders” but it is also directed at families. The charter “offers those invested with responsibility for the common good a model and a point of reference upon which to base appropriate political legislation for the family” while encouraging families to “come together in the defense and promotion of their rights.”