Educating children: a call, a challenge, a joy

«The family has a natural vocation to educate children. (…)  To be parents requires love and the desire to bring out the best in others. Fatherhood and motherhood are irreplaceable roles. Motherhood shows how to bring love and protection to human weakness. Fatherhood reveals unexplored horizons of life to children and establishes the foundation of the moral life that allows them to courageously form their own life project». With these words the Holy Father  introduces us to the theme of the education of children, which is “a call, a challenge, a joy”. This is the eight of the 10 videos that see Pope Francis as a protagonist together with families from different parts of the world.

This video refers to the seventh chapter of the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia: “Towards a better education of child”. Accompanying the words of the Holy Father is the testimonies of two missionary families in Holland and Russia. «We know we are handing on the faith to them, teaching them to live an essential mission as Christians… So, they have learned to live with God since they were little. They have learned they can forgive, that they can love in various ways, as God loves, that they can discover different ways to live» witnesses Javier.

Through a series of 10 videos, the Holy Father, with the help of several families, invites us to journey together to rediscover the value and beauty of the family. Each video is accompanied by a guide that can be used flexibly either by families or by various ecclesial realities (dioceses, parishes, communities).

This pastoral resource is an initiative of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life in collaboration with the Dicastery for Communication, as part of the initiatives of the «Amoris Laetitia Family» Year.