With a day of study in the context of the Pastoral Theological Congress at the Dublin WMOF, the University Institutes have founded an international network

As at every World Meeting of Families, the University Institutes for Marriage and Family again met for a day of study in the context of the Pastoral Theological Congress in Dublin.

This year, nearly 20 institutes participated, with contributions that represent the academic and interdisciplinary reception of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia. Yet, this year’s meeting is historical because the Charter of the Foundation REDIUF (International Network of University Family Institutes) was signed.

The REDIUF is an international Christian network of university institutes dedicated to the study of the family. It is structured as a network of networks, with the possibility of connecting institutions that independently share their identity and objectives. The spirit of the nascent network is to study the family and all family relationships, in an interdisciplinary and scientific way, in the light of Christian anthropology, in harmony with the Magisterium of the Catholic Church and a holistic vision, and, so, contribute to the good of people and the right development of their social commitment, in light of the fact that the well-being of a society depends on the well-being of its families.

The network, therefore, intends to establish a permanent dialogue with culture and society on the basis of the values that inspire it. Its main objectives are: 1) integrate the initiatives and actions of the universities and colleges that comprise it; 2) conduct multidisciplinary and multicentric research; 3) share academic teaching and exchange students and teachers; 4) organize study days to share research results or info on topics of particular relevance; 5) disseminate the results of the study and research days; 6) stimulate the creation of university family institutes on all the continents; and 7) help to further the understanding of the complexity of marriage and of the family’s realities in contemporary societies