Vatican City, Sep 24, 2010 / 15:45 pm
The Pontifical Council for the Family is working to create a document to guide marriage preparation efforts in dioceses throughout the world. Through it, the council hopes to better inform young couples of what they are asking of the Church when they opt to receive the Sacrament of Marriage.
During a press conference on Friday morning to present preparations for the 2012 World Meeting of Families in Milan, discussion turned to the production of a vademecum, or manual, on the preparation of young people for marriage in the Church.
Bishop Jean Laffitte, secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Family, explained on Friday that the proposal has come from the need voiced by people working in wedding preparation around the world. Although the council last produced a similar document 15 years ago to confront the theme in the contemporary context, it aims to create a new "pastoral instrument" to aid preparation efforts.
The council, he said, is now working to research and collect information on the theme. It has already compiled 400 existing documents from dioceses throughout the world to examine their work and try to consolidate information from this broad base of experience.