Care for life begins within the family

“The pastoral care of life is called to give value to the dignity of every person in every situation and age, as well as to accompany it to fullness”. With these words Professor Gabriella Gambino, the Under-secretary of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, addressed in her video message – focusing on the theme of Promoting the Defense of Life through the family, “The heart of God“ – the participants who gathered last November 17-19, on the occasion of the National Meeting for the Pastoral Care of Families sponsored by the Family Pastoral Care of the Episcopal Conference of Guatemala.

The Under-secretary, taking the opportunity to introduce the concept of Pastoral Care of Human Life, to be developed in the dioceses and Bishops’ conferences, explained how the first mission to which we are called is precisely that of focusing our energies on the tireless announcement of the good news of life along with the value of each human person, accompanying families, especially those going through difficult or painful situations.

Since the care for life starts from the family, the Pastoral Care of Human Life should be integrated into family pastoral projects: “Life always deserves love, relationships, and care. This is learned within the family”, stressed Professor Gambino.

Furthermore, it is important that the work of the Pastoral Care of Life today is not understood only in a 'defensive' way against the attacks that life itself suffers. Instead, we must not neglect the aspect of proclaiming anthropological values, which are at the foundation of human life and are no longer taken for granted in our societies. It is not enough to accompany life experiences; we should start again from the basics and develop in young people "an intelligence open to the lights of truth and faith", in order to be able to reason for the true good of each person.

Families - concluded Professor Gambino - today can make themselves a "sign of contradiction" to generate positive relationships, to be witnesses of a capacity of mutual care that humanizes society, weakening that "throw-away culture" which in many situations of suffering seems to have subtly turned into an ambiguous "common sense", to immediately resolve many difficult choices faced by the families themselves.