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Vatican to Produce Marriage Preparation Handbook; Pope Hails, Defends Family... : 22nd Feb 10
Pope Benedict XVI has revealed that the Vatican is preparing a handbook on preparation for marriage inspired by the ideas of Pope John Paul II. Addressing members of the Pontifical Council for the Family at their annual plenary assembly, the Pope said the document will be based around three main stages of preparation: “remote, proximate and immediate”.
Also, the Pope praised other initiatives of the Council that seek to raise awareness of the benefits the family brings to society. In addition, he recalled the World Meeting of Families in Mexico last year and looked forward to the next one, in Milan in 2012. Referring to the theme of the plenary assembly, “The Rights of the Child”, chosen to mark the twentieth anniversary of the UN Convention on that subject, the Holy Father noted how “the Church over the centuries, following the example of Christ, has promoted the dignity and rights of children”.
But he also condemned strongly those instances when child abuse has occurred within the Church: “In various cases some of her members, acting against this commitment, have violated these rights; actions which the Church does not and will not fail to deplore and condemn”. Jesus’ harsh words against those “who offend one of these little ones”, he added, are “an admonition to everyone never to lower the level of this respect and love”.
The Pontiff noted, too, that marital break-ups “are not without consequences for children” and stressed that supporting the family and promoting “its true good, its rights, its unity and stability is the best way to protect the rights and the real needs of children”. “The family founded on marriage between a man and a woman is the greatest help that can be given to children”, the Pope stressed.
“They want to be loved by a mother and a father who love one another, and they need to dwell, grow and live with both parents, because the maternal and paternal figures complement one another in the education of children and in the formation of their personality and identity. It is important, then, that everything possible be done to ensure they grow up in a united and stable family”. National Catholic Register. February 8.
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