News

“What faith does the Church live? The Prospects of Lumen Fidei” is the theme of the new issue of Anthropotes, the official semi-annual review of the John Paul II Pontifical Theological Institute for ...

The Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, and the delegate for the family, Msgr. Carlos Simón Vasquez, attended the 3rd International Congress of ...

“Love between man and woman is obviously one the most generative human experiences. It is the leaven of the culture of encounter and gives the present world an injection of sociality. Indeed, the good ...

This week too, we are heading towards the Dublin World Families Meeting to the sound of a podcast. On this fourth appointment with the series “Let’s Talk Family,” Brenda Drumm, Communications Manager ...

Today, Pope Francis named as new Undersecretaries to the Dicastery two women, Linda Ghisoni to Section for the Laity, and Gabriella Gambino to the Section for Life. Linda Ghisoni, born in the province ...

Today, Pope Francis visited the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. Just a few days after the meeting with the Pontifical Foundation “Scholas Occurrentes,” Francis returned to Palazzo San ...

As announced; the third podcast of the series "Let's Talk Family" on the way to the meeting in Dubin, is available online. This week's guest, introduced as the others by Brenda Drumm, the ...

What Catholic Action have the 150 years of the Association’s history formed? This is the question that Antonia Pillosio’s documentary “Catholic Action a Continuing Story” is intended to answer. The ...

Young people are the key to fighting the social woes that are humiliating Paraguay. The Bishops of the Latin American country who, counting on them, have launched a three-year course of formation, are ...

In recent days, the Dicastery's Secretary, Father Alexandre Awi Mello, and Father Giovanni Buontempo, in charge of relations with the ecclesial movements and new communities, met with the Federal ...

“This World Youth Day will be very Marian and Central American.” The Secretary, Fr. Alexandre Awi Mello voiced this anticipation at the end of a meeting that took place a few days ago at our Dicastery ...

Pope Francis’ encounter with the earthquake victims in the Italian regions of Marche, Umbria, Lazio and Abruzzo was opened with the Cross of the World Youth Day. Some young earthquake victims brought ...

While Mexico digs into the rubble and weeps over those who died a few days ago in the tragic earthquake, the Pilgrimage of the World Youth Day symbols continues. It is significant that at a time of ...

The WYD cross and the icon of Mary “Salus Populi Romani” continue their pilgrimage through the countries of Central America and, after visiting Mexico and Cuba—where meetings and celebrations were ...

In the aftermath of the official beginning of their mandate in our Dicastery, the undersecretaries Linda Ghisoni and Gabriella Gambino have released their first statements about the mission to which ...

Jesus must be at the center of Christmas. Holy Father Francis, speaking last Sunday at the Angelus, said that Christmas has no meaning if we take Jesus out of Christmas. I invite you to reflect, how ...

A few days ago, the Secretary Fr. Alexandre Awi Mello, together with the officials in charge of ecclesial aggregations Mr. Philip Milligan and Fr. Giovanni Buontempo met representatives of the AMI ...

The online portal with the questionnaire, the channels of the social networks, the Seminar on condition of youth last September but, above all, the first statistical data related to the online ...

“The combination of theological preparation, pastoral ministry, and moments of fraternal life” constitutes the “fundamental unity.” This is the novelty of the Masters Program in Marriage and Family ...

In a festive atmosphere, families from all over the world will meet, and some will offer their testimonies, hopefully in the presence of the Holy Father. During the meeting held a few days ago at our ...

Among the activities of the Women's Office of the Dicastery, there were two meetings this week. In Rome, the office head, Marta Rodriguez, attended a formation session of the World Union for Catholic ...

A few days ago, Msgr. Carlos Simón Vázquez, the delegate for our Dicastery’s Family and Life section, met two representatives of the International Federation for Family Development (IFFD). With ...

“Is it possible to give life back to the family? Yes, it is possible! It is possible by starting with the fascinating beauty of the family built according to God’s plan and bearing in mind the wounds ...

In the context of the preparations for the General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment,” the Diocesan Secretariat for Youth Ministry in Santiago, ...

The Year of the Laity opens today, 26 November, Solemnity of Christ the King. The Church in Brazil will be actively engaged in this initiative until 25 November 2018. The theme chosen to promote the ...

“To Live, To Love, To Be Born. Family History and News” is the theme of the course promoted by the Ut Vitam Habeant Foundation in collaboration with the association Donum Vitae that will begin on ...

“The Joy of Yes forever” is the title of the marriage preparation course proposed by the Pastoral Family Ministry of Trivento (Campobasso) with the aim—the organizers explain—“of offering effective ...

For reflection on the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, the Office of Family Ministry and the Office of Vocations of the Italian Bishops’ Conference propose an online webinar starting on Monday, ...

“Be Not Afraid” is the theme of the annual Respect Life Program promoted by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) that will be observed from October 2017 to September ...

A new educational project for pastoral animators working with young people has been launched by the diocese of Nitra in collaboration with Constantine the Philosopher University: registration is open ...

"Outline the impact of technology on human life from its beginning to its end, presenting the anthropological aspects of parenthood and cultural aspects of the civilization of efficiency," ...

Three hundred fifty representatives of the Centers of Encounters of Married Couples attended the International Conference for Leaders that was held from 8 to 10 September at the Theological Seminar in ...

"Forgive each other heartily in our families so that we may always start again with a free heart, without holding on to the offenses received"—with this hope, Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, ...

“This synodal season has led the Church to renewed awareness of the Gospel of the Family and of new pastoral challenges that the Christian community is called on to answer. The centrality of the ...

Identity, planning, otherness, technology, transcendence: These are the keywords of the reflections at the International Seminar on the Condition of Youth held in recent days in the Auditorium of the ...

“With Joy, Families reaching out” was the theme of the Schoenstatt Ibero-American Family Work Congress held in Ecuador. Hundreds of married couples from fourteen countries, members of the three ...

“We must highlight and value what makes our youth good. Bolivian young people are good and courageous. They engage in volunteer work and evangelization!” This is how the Bolivian Bishops, on their Ad ...

“I heartily wish that you continue, with conviction and without becoming discouraged, to propose the beauty of God’s plan for the family and boldly face its great challenges.” Father Alexandre Awi ...

Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, has concluded the pastoral visit to Japan. On this occasion Pope Francis sent a letter to the local Bishops, ...

“Tourism, Pilgrimage and Sustainable Development” is the theme of the First Latin American Congress on the Pastoral Care of Tourism, which is being held in Panama, at the Auditorium “Benjamin Ayechu” ...

From 26 November 2017, Solemnity of Christ the King, to 25 November 2018, the Church in Brazil will celebrate the “Year of the Laity.” At this year’s second ordinary meeting of the Permanent Council, ...

Yesterday, the Prefect’s delegate for the Family and Life, Msgr. Carlos Simón, received the leaders of the FAFCE (Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe), namely the President Antoine ...

During the Ad Limina visit of Ecuador’s Bishops at the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, one of the main topics discussed was the participation of lay people in parish life. Some of the ...

A few days ago, a preparatory meeting for the World Meeting of Families was held in the offices of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. The participants were the Dicastery’s Secretary, Fr. ...

“The Couple and the Crisis: How to Accompany, Discern, Integrate” is the theme of the sessions of formation promoted conjointly by the association “Retrouvaille” and the Italian Confederation of ...

“A Life to Love” is the title of the Convention that will be held on October 31st, at the Rimini Conference Center, ten years after the death of Father Oreste Benzi. This initiative, promoted by the ...

“Co-workers in the Vineyard” was the theme of the 2017 Forum for Canadian national Catholic movements and associations held early in October, in Châteauguay, Quebec. The forum, organized every three ...

“Young & Holy” is the series of meetings for presenting to young people testimonies of their peers who lived and strived for holiness. This initiative is organized by the Archdiocese of ...

Accompaniment of the suffering, care for the sick, and the relationship between generations are not only at the center of the XXIII General Assembly of the Academy for Life that was held a few days ...

Pope Francis has appointed the Prefect Card. Kevin Farrell to be his special envoy at the inauguration of the dome depicting the Most Holy Trinity in the Basilica of the US National Shrine of the ...

Even though the family was not one of the principle themes of Saint John XXIII’s pontificate, there are actually many texts where the new saint refers to the family. Above all we see the family ...

The family is “the heart of Christian life” and must be the stake of this new pastoral year, said Évora’s Archbishop, H.E. Msgr. José Alves, a few days ago at the inauguration of the pastoral year ...

“Show them all that they are not only supported by everyone’s affection, love and attention but above all that we need them, in the journey they are on, because we build the Church together.” With ...

A course of formation on family pastoral ministry for consecrated persons and lay facilitators is proposed by the Italian Union of Major Superiors in collaboration with the Center for Studies Capax ...

“To ensure young women instruction and education, empowerment, and fair compensation for their work” the UN established the International Day of Rural Women, which will be celebrated tomorrow, October ...

Cardinal Kevin Farrell is in Canada today for a talk show at the TV studios of the Canadian Catholic Salt & Light Media. The show, with many young people around the theme of the Synod “Young ...

The Dicastery’s Prefect, Card. Kevin Farrell, attended the 4th Annual Faith and Life Convention, on “Faith in the Family,” organized by the Diocese of Down and Connor and held on Saturday at Our Lady ...

A few days ago, a meeting of researchers specialized in the anthropology of sexuality was held in the congress hall of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life. This casual encounter brought ...

Educators, workers, and volunteers of the Life Help Centers and the Pro-Life Movement in the Marches are especially invited to the course “Training to Educate to Encounter,” promoted by ...

What exactly is a World Meeting of Families? How is the next one organized? How can we prepare for it? Will the Pope be in Dublin? How can we participate? Less than a year now separates us from the ...

A mission that is “difficult, yet also exhilarating,” is set against a horizon, where “there is no shortage of men and women of good will, scholars included, with differing approaches to religion and ...

Bittersweet is the word that best describes the Palm Sunday celebration in St. Peter’s Square, on April 9th, when Pope Francis opened Holy Week with the Mass of the Lord’s Passion. This celebration is ...

In 2009, 17 young volunteers guided by the Centro San Lorenzo took the World Youth Day Cross to those affected by the earthquake in Aquila. It was a time of grace and intense consolation. Desiring ...

At the start of the extraordinary Holy Year of the Redemption 1983-84, Pope John Paul II decided to place a fourmetre high wooden cross in Saint Peter’s Basilica so that everyone could see it. At the ...

A full day devoted to the pastoral ministry of marriage and family was hosted a few days ago by the “Jean XXIII” Pastoral Center of the diocese of Luxembourg in view of the World Meeting of Families ...

Upgrading the experience of the Course in different environments, especially in view of the Dublin World Meeting of Families, and contributing to the 2018 Synod of Bishops on Youth. These are the ...

The challenges are those of all European countries, especially of those that, in recent decades, have come out from behind the iron curtain and are faced with the transition from communism to ...

A Mass of thanksgiving for the Emmanuel Community was celebrated yesterday in Rome, in the church of San Lorenzo in Piscibus, by Cardinal Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and ...

“The categorical imperative is to never abandon the sick”. All are called to “give love in his or her own way—as a father, a mother, a son, a daughter, a brother or sister, a doctor or a nurse. But ...

Exchanging experiences, listening to different testimonies, and sharing reflections on Catholic laity who assume political responsibilities in the various Latin American countries are the primary ...

The fruits that many young pilgrims of the WYD say they have received at the meetings throughout the world are countless, but when we read this story, we said: Why not ask Evelyn to write her ...

On the sidelines of the International Catholic Conference of Scouting, which was held a few days ago in Rome, some representatives of the International Catholic Conference of Scouting greeted the ...

Extraordinary events such as Pope Francis’ visit to the Dicastery, the engagements of the Prefect Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the activities of the Secretary Father Alexandre Awi Mello, the appointment of ...

The Prefect Card. Kevin Farrell, who is traveling in the United States and Canada these days, is attending a meeting today, at Boston College, on “Amoris Laetitia: A New Momentum for Moral Formation ...

The project entitled “Esperienze d'amore” (Experiences of Love), promoted by the Catholic association "Esercenti Cinema" for the Office of Family Ministry of the Italian Bishops’ Conference, ...

In these days, from 7 to 9 December, the Australian Catholic Youth Festival (#ACYF) is being held in Sydney. This event, promoted by the Australian Church, proposes the new generations an opportunity ...

Two days of work were devoted to creating a platform for dialogue between experts on marriage, families, and young people, so that all may contribute to a multidisciplinary reflection on education to ...

On the occasion of the centenary of the death of Saint Francesca Cabrini, on 22 December, a conference, scheduled for 1 December in Pius XI Hall of the Palazzo San Calisto, Rome, will present the ...

It is a very busy time for the National Youth Office of the Uganda Bishops’ Conference. We have received news about the efforts being made to collect responses to the Questionnaire prepared by the ...

“The miracle of the salvation of young people does not happen without Jesus but—in general—it does not happen without a family either; it does not happen without a father, a mother, brothers, and ...

A few days ago, the delegate of our Dicastery’s Family and Life Section, Msgr. Carlos Simon Vazquez, met Gordian Godenus, coordinator of the initiative “Vocation of the Business Leader: Reflections ...

“We are delighted to be able to offer you indications on how to participate in the IX World Meeting of Families, which will be held from 21 to 26 August in Dublin.” This is the incipit of the letter ...

“Always be conscious that time and energy spent on the formation of the spirit, mind and character of young people is the best investment in the future of the Church and civil society as a whole. ...

Natalie Orefice and Lianne Pap are the protagonists of the new podcast in the series “Let’s Talk Family,” the “weekly” meeting on the way to the World Families Meeting in Dublin. In this fifth ...

The sixth podcast in the series “Let’s talk family” is online. This week too a new podcast in view of the World Meeting of families in Dublin is available. This week’s episode is a little bit ...

The subalpine dioceses are promoting a pilgrimage to Rome for young people. The program, scheduled for 9 August, for young people from 16 to 30, from the 17 dioceses of Piedmont and Valle d'Aosta will ...

Today, 21 March 2017, the Holy Father’s Message to young people has been published. The Message is in preparation for the 32nd World Youth Day in 2017 which will be celebrated at the diocesan level on ...

The year just begun “opens in the name of the Mother of God.” Mary, placing herself as a mother between her son Jesus and people, carries out “a very special function.” Furthermore, “all parents” are ...

A few days ago, Father João Chagas, head of our Dicastery’s Youth Office, met with Fr. Frédéric Fornos and Fr. Luis Ramirez, respectively director and assistant of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network ...

The new bulletin of the International Confederation of Christian Family Movements is online. This issue covers the first half of 2017. This 48-page newsletter includes the Charter of the Federation’s ...

“Sport can unite people beyond their geographical or cultural background, their race or religion. Sports allows us to look towards the other, to walk, supporting those who are next to us and so to ...

A few days ago, the delegate of our Dicastery, Msgr. Carlos Simon, attended a meeting in Madrid, at the headquarters of the Spanish Bishops' Conference. The focus of this encounter, attended by Family ...

“Do not let your youth be stolen from you. Do not allow anyone to slow and obscure the light that Christ puts in your face and in your heart. Be weavers of relationships signed by trust, by sharing, ...

The Mexican Bishops’ Conference has organized two meetings for today in the diocese of Querétaro to reflect on the indications offered by the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia on educational ...

“The Journey of the Family, 50 Years Since Humanae Vitae” is the theme of a public lecture series organized conjointly by the Pontifical Gregorian University, the Faculty of Social Sciences, and the ...

The 2018 World Meeting of Families in Dublin will not only be lived and shared by all but also listened to on the way. For this reason, WMOF podcasts are available online: “Each of these audio files ...

Yesterday morning, an international delegation of the Marianist Lay Communities (MLC) met with Fr. Alexandre Awi Mello, Secretary of the Dicastery, and Fr. Giovanni Buontempo, in charge of the ...

“Inclusive Sports: A Look towards the Other” is the theme of the conference that will be held in the Pio XI Hall, in Rome’s San Calisto Palace, on 31 October at 2:45 pm. After the greetings by the ...

The Prefect Card. Kevin Farrell, who is traveling in the United States and Canada these days, is attending a meeting today, at Boston College, on “Amoris Laetitia: A New Momentum for Moral Formation ...

“Amoris Laetitia. A Provocation for Priests” is the title of the book written by Fr. Silvio Longobardi with the intent of offering priests a synthetic reading of the Apostolic Exhortation and striving ...

The Secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, Father Alexandre Awi Mello, gave an interview to Schoenstatt.org. In a conversation with journalists, at the margins of a pilgrimage to ...

“If we remove the cover of the disturbing tale, we find that life, true life, is bustling, the life of those many simple people which carries on from day-to-day with dignity, which cares for the ...

“To the dear families of Umbria. The booklet summarizing the contents of the Encyclical Laudato si’, which will be given to you by your priests during the Paschal Blessing, is particularly significant ...

Yesterday, in the New Synod Hall, the Pontifical Academy for Life held a conference on “Accompanying life. New responsibilities in the technological era.” The work was opened in the context of the ...

“A tool to promote every family project, under any circumstances”—“The Family’s Clock” is a book by Fernando Vidal, director of the University Institute of Family Studies of the Pontifical University ...

The challenges and needs of women in their countries and the major issues to be addressed in the near future were discussed in recent days by Miroslava Vargas, Panama’s ambassador to the Holy See, and ...

“This is the time to hope with all your hope, to work for justice and peace, and to love people, one by one.” This is the theme of the 4th National Meeting of Laity, which will take place on 17 and 18 ...

A few days ago, the Vice President of FAFCE visited our Dicastery with the Secretary General, Nicola Speranza, and the delegate of the Family Associations Forum, Vincenzo Bassi. The meeting was ...

One dice, two chips, 80 cards with questions, and a board of colored squares on which the four pillars of the couple—communication, daily life, sexuality, and planning—cross. The table game “Duopoly” ...

The second episode in the “Let’s talk family” podcast series has been released. As announced, this week a new podcast will accompany families on the way to the Meeting in Dublin. The guest of this ...

The National Union of Fathers (http://unpf.mx/) is 100 years old and, to celebrate this anniversary, the association has organized a Congress on “Family, Education, and Peace” that will be held at the ...

In Dublin, the organizational machine preparing the big World Meeting of Families is moving ahead. There are already over one thousand registrations, precisely 1046, with 606 from Ireland and 440 from ...

A few days ago, the international coordinators of the MILPA Association (Palautian Lay Missionaries) came to visit our Dicastery. The delegates were received by the Dicastery’s Secretary, Father ...

A great wish of Father Josef Kentenich—founder of the highly diversified Schönstatt Movement, born one hundred years ago in Germany—was that the Movement be present in the heart of the Church, in ...

The latest issue of the newsletter published by the Office of Laity and Family of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC) is online. The PDF file can be downloaded free of charge. This ...

Spiritual Exercises, resources, documents, activities, and formation are proposed especially to families in many dioceses. For example, the service for the family of the church of Milan ...

The challenges that the Uruguayan Church is called to face are not so different from those of most Western countries, but their influence on the society and its culture is so strong that Uruguay has ...

Is the embryo only a clot of cells?  Are prenatal diagnosis techniques acceptable?  Who can judge the value of life?  Is assisted reproduction the only alternative in the event of ...

On the day the Holy Father arrived in Panama, the WYD was in full swing with the activities of the pilgrim groups:   catechesis, meantime, a profitable dialogue among the young people and ...

Just before leaving for Panama, Father Alexandre Awi Mello  answers some questions on the encounter of the young people attending the WYD with the people and the Church of Central America.  ...

Two events for a whole week in the home of Saint Francis. First, the 6th meeting for the critical review of marriage preparation courses for couples involving the “Great Mystery” project and the ...

Helping young people to become aware of the challenges highlighted by Pope Francis in the Encyclical Letter Laudato si’ and find ways to promote a culture for safeguarding Creation are the themes at ...

On the eve of the World Youth Day (Panama, 22-27 January 2019), the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life has announced an initiative related to the impact of the Synod of Bishops on young people, the ...

Expectations related to this now imminent event and above all in relation to Pope Francis’ meeting with the young people from all the continents; how the World Youth Day in Panama can be an ...

The philosopher Luigi Alici, former national Italian Catholic Action president, presented, at the end of April, a reflection on the presidencies of the A.C.I. under the title "A People for ...

"The competences of a Dicastery like ours, for the Laity, Family and Life, reveal themselves more and more in their connection, in their transversal interconnection." These are the words of ...

A Pan-American Network for the right to life has been created. The announcement was made by the Latin American Episcopal Council (Celam), through the Department of Life, Family and Youth, with a ...

“Religion and especially Christianity is in seriously poor health. With some noteworthy exceptions, young adults no longer identify or practice religion. [...] Religion is dying, and Europe is ...

Set on a hill, on a site that covers 15,000 square meters, there will be a house for pilgrims with 103 family-sized rooms, a home for refugees and the poor, a church, and a structure with auditoriums ...

A few days ago, in the Roman church of Trinità dei Monti, the Undersecretary Linda Ghisoni met a group of young couples from France who are participating in the Schools of Charity and Mission animated ...

Pope Francis will grant the gift of indulgences to the faithful on the occasion of the IX World Meeting of Families. This was announced by the Apostolic Penitentiary with a decree issued today, ...

The Bishops of the Regional Episcopal Conference of China (Taiwan) came to our Dicastery on their Ad Limna visit on May 14th. The prelates said that today in Taiwan, a country of traditionally very ...

“Today, ours is a ‘culture of waste,’ while fighting for life means fighting for a culture in which every life is to be respected. Today, when we say this, it seems like we’re speaking ‘Martian.’ Your ...

The 2018 Report on the Evolution of the Family in Europe has been prepared by the Institute for Family Policy (IFP). Demographic evolution, the evolution of nuptiality, family and reconciliation, and ...

“40 anni per il futuro” (40 Years for the Future) is the title of the volume signed by Carlo Casini, founder and honorary president of the European Federation “One of us,” and Marina Casini, president ...

“May it be done to me according to your word” is the title of the hymn of the Panamanian World Youth Days presented last year. The different versions and linguistic arrangements have now been ...

During the consistory held a few days ago, Pope Francis announced that Paul VI and Oscar Romero will be canonized on October 14th. In addition to Pope Montini and the Archbishop of San Salvador, the ...

A few days ago, Prefect Kevin Farrell, in the presence of Undersecretary Linda Ghisoni, gave (see the photo on the side) Marie-Ange Bellance, President of Claire Amitié, the decree approving some ...

“We need educators who have the courage of the truth and know how to accompany young people in their personal and vocational discernment. Another fundamental aspect is the need to make young people ...

“Key Points for Marriage Preparation in the Light of Amoris Laetitia” is the title of the document of “new” pastoral guidelines published in recent days by the German Bishops’ Conference. It is a slim ...

The Apostolic Exhortation “Gaudete et exsultate” and the new statute of our Dicastery; the mission for movements and lay associations explained by Undersecretary Linda Ghisoni in an interview. Another ...

Franz Schubert’s “Mille Cherubini in Coro” is the soundtrack of the fifth artistic multimedia clip produced by the Dicastery with the collaboration of the Franciscans of Mary in preparation for the ...

“Sports is a meeting place where people of all levels and social conditions come together to reach a common aim. It is also a formative vehicle. Perhaps today more than ever, we must fix our gaze on ...

In recent days, Pope Francis spoke several times, in his homilies and at meetings, about the family and life, themes that our Dicastery obviously follows with special attention. The homily he gave a ...

The delegates representing bishops’ conferences from over 80 countries and about 35 international movements and communities will gather in Panama City from 6th till 9th of June to discuss the latest ...

The official program of Pope Francis’ apostolic visit to Ireland, on August 25th and 26th, on the occasion of the World Meeting of Families, has been published. Yesterday, the Press Office of the Holy ...

A few days ago, the relay team “Evangelii Gaudium” shined forth with a great victory at the XII Super Marathon of Etna, a race of 43 km, from the coasts in the province of Catania to the summit of ...

Penetrate all cultures—medical, juridical, philosophical, and pedagogical—and animate them from within, so that they express the whole truth about man and life: this was reaffirmed by Pope Francis in ...

During the first days of the 2nd Preparatory Meeting, members of the WYD Local Organising Committee, leaders of the Catholic Church in Panama and representatives of the highest state authorities ...

During their recent Plenary assembly, the Polish Bishops adopted “Pastoral Guidelines for the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia.” The document—a note published by the Bishops’ Press Office ...

On June 19th, the annual meeting of the ecclesial movements and new communities will be held in Pio XI Hall of the Palazzo San Calisto. Kevin Farrell, our Dicastery’s Cardinal Prefect, will introduce ...

“The human family as an image of God, man and woman, is only one. It is only one.” Pope Francis said this, a few days ago, speaking off-the-cuff to a delegation from the Forum of Family Associations ...

  “Young people were at the origin of many ecclesial movements;” “the ecclesial movements” have a “long work experience working with the youth;” “the ecclesial movements actively involve ...

“You have worked hard, prepared this moment, this commitment is in the hands of the Holy Spirit, who will show us where to go. I would have liked, I wanted very much to be with you personally during ...

On June 22nd, the Bishops of Uganda came to our Dicastery for their Ad Limina Visit to Rome. The theme at the center of the exchange between the African Bishops and the Superiors of the Dicastery were ...

On 27th June, Fr. Alexandre Awi Mello Secretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life presided the Solemn Mass closing the academic year in the International Youth Centre “San Lorenzo” in ...

Hundreds of families have, for years, gravitated around—and are the protagonists of—a great project built on these pillars: the family is an active agent of pastoral care, an agent building up the ...

Press Office of the Holy See confirmed that Pope Francis will visit Panama to celebrate 34. World Youth Day. His visit is scheduled from January 23rd to 27th, 2019. During the special celebration held ...

“His mother kept all these things in her heart” (Lk 2:51) is this Gospel phrase focused on in the sixth artistic clip for the preparation of the World Meeting of the Families of Dublin. The soundtrack ...

Catholic communities and musicians from different continents worked together to prepare the multilingual version of the WYD 2019 Theme Song. The original Spanish lyrics, written by the Panamanian ...

“Think of human life at its conception, human life growing in the womb, life newly born, life as a child, a teenager, an adult… Think of life that has grown old and is ready to pass away—and eternal ...

Love, start again and share are the three words proposed by the Focolare President Maria Voce on the day after the closing of the eleventh edition of the Genfest, the international festival of the ...

  “Faithful Stewards of God’s Grace” is the title of the document on the Lay Pastoral Ministry in the Church in Australia, published by the National Conference on the New Evangelization, Proclaim ...

“Young Catholics in Ukraine share the same dreams and experiences, no matter whether they are Latin Rite or Ukrainian Greek Rite Catholics. First of all, they long to build closer ties with the ...

“We think of the saints as heroes, as people capable of doing special things. No, it’s not like that; the experience of God is never taken for granted.” These are the words of Father Vito D’Amato, ...

“This is a very precious gift that Blessed Paul VI has given to the Church and to the world: a light cast on the truth of human love, that “whole” truth that the Bible, starting in the first chapters ...

A call to defend life from conception to natural death has been launched by the Brazilian Bishops in view of the debate on a proposal to decriminalize the voluntary interruption of pregnancy up to the ...

This is the title of the reflection of the Undersecretary of the Dicastery, Gabriella Gambino, on one of the hot topics to be addressed at the upcoming World Meeting in Dublin: educating children in ...

If “the family is a factory of hope, the most beautiful thing God has done,” as Pope Francis said in Philadelphia, is making it the sign of the beauty and joy of love (Amoris Laetitia) that “the ...

A few days ago, on July 25th, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of Paul VI’s Encyclical, Humanae Vitae. This document met with strong opposition, yet it was also recognized as “prophetic” for it ...

“Life today can endanger the family, so concrete measures are needed to help it to grow.” This is the heart of Pope Francis’ message in the video with the prayer intention for the month of August. The ...

David Foster’s “The Prayer” is the soundtrack of the seventh multimedia clip produced by the Dicastery together with the Franciscans of Mary in preparation for the Dublin World Meeting of ...

Some pro-abortion organizations and newspapers have tried to influence public opinion in Brazil, by inflating the numbers of induced abortions performed each year in the country. The denunciation was ...

On a beautiful day in July, Father Giovanni Buontempo, representing the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, welcomed the cyclists who participated in the project “Ride to Rome,” at the end ...

“We hope that thanks to the Meeting, families will be able to acquire a more intense awareness of their vocation, which is to bear witness of joy before the world in spite of all the difficulties that ...

Since 2014, the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro commemorates the anniversary of 2013 WYD celebrated in Rio, with the aim of encouraging the participation of young people in the next edition of WYD. This ...

“If we remember and renew the awareness of what the alliance between a man and a woman means in marriage, as well as the gifts, the fruits, the benefits that it entails for the children and for the ...

Sport is always a good opportunity for “Giving the best of yourself.” Talk continues about the document on the Christian perspective of sports and the human person—edited by our Dicastery and ...

In the context of the Dublin World Meeting of Families, which will continue until August 26th, Claire and John Grabowski, of the Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family and Youth of the United States’ ...

The reference chosen by Emmanuel and Marie-Gabrielle Ménager (Tobec, France), who spoke this morning during the panel session on the importance of the complementarity of mothers and fathers, at the ...

The “spiritual realism” of marriage, in which “each spouse realizes that the other is not his or her own, but has a much more important master, the one Lord,” is the central theme of Amoris Laetitia ...

"In our history, we experience the words that Pope Francis wrote in Amoris Laetitia: “Even in cases where, despite the intense desire of the spouses, there are no children, marriage still retains ...

“I’m an adult with Down’s syndrome. I like people to see me and not my condition. I feel that my life is blessed.” This was said by Michael Gannon, a marketing expert with Down syndrome, who spoke ...

“Unfortunately, opportunities for people with disabilities to share the faith and belong to a community are still limited.” This was said by Cristina Gangemi, director of the Kairos Forum and ...

“It is in the family that life is enkindled. There, in a school of ever richer and more complete humanity, one learns to share, to rejoice and to suffer, to experience illness and to face death. Love ...

“All the improvised public measures often introduced to help families, such as a bonus for newborn children or different subsidies to support education, do not reach the goal of effectively supporting ...

On the first day of the Pastoral Congress organized in Dublin at the World Meeting of Families (21-26 August), Marian and Vincent Bradley (Northern Ireland), gave their testimony as parents of a child ...

The interest in one’s own roots is growing more and more. This was stated by Michael Egan of the Irish Family History Foundation (IFHF), who spoke on the second day of the Pastoral Congress at the ...

“Call to mind the life and teaching of Jesus, seeing in them his identification with asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants” is the invitation that Fr. Michael Czerny, under-secretary, co-responsible ...

St. Paul’s unsurpassable hymn to love in his First Letter to the Corinthians, is considered in detail, in chapter four of Amoris Laetitia, “illustrating the significance of attitudes inspired by love ...

“The place in which to get married is not just a physical place, like an office, a beach, or a temple. The question of ‘where’ to get married also refers to the ‘place’ understood as a network of ...

“When they are given the opportunity to speak and are included in the conversation, people with special needs have the ability to contribute in meaningful and inspiring ways.” This was said by Tim ...

“Statistics in our countries show that many marriages end in divorce, sometimes shortly after being celebrated. Another trend that we can observe is that couples choose not to get married but build a ...

For Msgr. Brendan Leahy, Bishop of Limerick, who spoke at the Dublin World Meeting of Families, “the theme of the transmission of faith is linked to the much broader theme of the Church itself as a ...

“Before the rise of social media, I had never heard the order ‘Kill yourself!’ Today, this is a standard online response, one of the 100 responses out of 78,000 memes used on parents. Most people do ...

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 ...

“The homeless constitute an invisible world because of the indifference that surrounds them, a population on the margins of our cities, sometimes right on our doorstep, to which even the most basic ...

“Marriage is a combination of joys and privations, tensions and rest, suffering and liberation, satisfaction and searching, annoyance, and joy. No family is a perfect reality; it requires gradual ...

“Business must take account of individual talents and satisfy the needs of humanity with authentic and sustainable goods, and do so in a spirit of service and solidarity towards the human family.” ...

The “Service Directory of Family Pastoral Care” is a sort of “handbook” prepared by the Diocese of Toledo for “accompanying people individually as they strive to fully live their vocation to love.” ...

“The Internet can be a door to good or evil. The International Telecommunication Union, a UN agency, estimated that, in June 2017, 51% of the world’s population had access to the Internet: that is, ...

“To help each person to live fully their vocation to love.” This is how, the Archbishop of Toledo, Msgr. Braulio Rodríguez Plaza, described the mission of the group Santa Teresa in the diocese, today, ...

“Families engaged in business play a key role in the development of the common good, in social development, and in the economic needs of humanity.” Gordian Gudenus, a partner and director of the Bank ...

“Retrouvaille” is a program for rediscovering marriage, intended for couples in conflict or in crisis because, for example, the detection of infidelity; it teaches couples to communicate on an ...

Just a few brushstrokes make it possible to admire a picture of the beauty of a Christian family: “In our lives, we have always put God first, and that motivated us to dedicate ourselves, from the ...

“How is it possible that a man like St. John Paul II, who did not have a family, could penetrate so deeply into the inner dynamics of family love and family life?” The contribution of Rocco ...

“That a child should not be recognized as a gift is not too difficult to imagine if we look at current cultural trends throughout the world that recede and lack respect for the reciprocal gift of a ...

“La famiglia non è un ideale astratto”, premette il card. Joseph W. Tobin, arcivescovo di Newark (Usa), introducendo questa mattina il panel dedicato all’amore nell’esperienza quotidiana delle ...

On the second day of the Pastoral Theological Congress dedicated to chapter 4 (“Love in Marriage”) and chapter 6 (“Some Pastoral Perspectives”) of Amoris Laetitia, the married couple Maria and Gianni ...

“As founder of the Catholic Grandparents Association (CGA), I firmly believe in the transmission of the faith at home and in the role of grandparents in this mission.” This is how Catherine Wiley ...

“Like any terminally ill child, the unborn child with a life-limiting condition is a precious gift for his or her parents to accept, welcome, and nurture in the remaining weeks and days.” These are ...

What does woman’s leadership look like? Carolyn Y. Woo, president of Catholic Relief Services, spoke on the second day of the Pastoral Congress at the Dublin World Meeting of Families (21-26 August). ...

"If sport can reach its goal of involving and including everyone, it will help to inspire a vision of solidarity that offers hope to all of humanity,” said Msgr. Paul Tighe, Secretary of the ...

“The history of salvation has been changed forever by a family.” This was the starting point of the intervention of Patrick E. Kelly, Vice Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus (USA), on the ...

“The complexity of today’s society and the challenges faced by the family require a greater effort on the part of the whole Christian community in preparing those who are about to be married.” The ...

“The parents of our 4 grandchildren have chosen not to educate their children in the faith. We respect their decisions, while trying to discover new ways to do this, with creativity, fun, and love.” ...

Our society has accustomed us to an egocentric view of sexual love. However, as Pope Francis writes in Amoris Laetitia, “sexuality is not a means of gratification or entertainment; it is an ...

Isaac Withers, representative of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales at the 2018 Synod, is the youngest of five siblings. At the Pastoral Congress of the Dublin World Meeting of Families ...

“Holiness in the family also passes through a pile of dirty dishes to be washed.” This is the holiness of daily life proposed by the Irish author and speaker on spirituality Bairbre Cahill, who took ...

“In marriage preparation, we try to balance the call to love one another with the innate call to welcome the gift of children. Planning a family together is a great privilege.” Card. Vincent Nichols, ...

“Forgiving was an important step, but I felt vulnerable and did not know how to pardon. A guide made it easier and helped me get to know together the process of forgiving.” This afternoon, Torbjorn ...

“My name is Carlos. I am born of the joy of love, and I was created for the joy of love. That is the ultimate end of my life.” This is how Carlos Comploy Osset, from the Diocese of Toledo, presented ...

“Unfortunately, some people think that sexual intercourse is the way to find intimacy; but sexual intercourse without love often creates loneliness and insecurity.” This was said by Anita Conlan, ...

“Not tyrannical control over the domestic space is needed, but rather a process to gradually but firmly attract children towards responsible autonomy” in the use of the new means of social ...

“Taking into account the vast experience of our Federation in dealing with families around the world, we daily see that the family is the place where most people learn the basic life skills and that ...

Gabriella Gambino, Undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, moderated, on Friday August 24th, panel 2 on chapter 6 of Amoris Laetitia, in which the Christian spouses are invited ...

As people “inspired by the Gospel of life and the Gospel of the family, we are all called to be ‘missionaries for the cause of life,’ at home in our families but also in our parishes, communities, ...

“Biblical Wisdom suggests to us that ‘there is a time to be born and a time to die (...) a time to cry and a time to laugh (...) a time to be silent and a time to speak’ (Qohelet 3). Does this ‘time ...

“In the current climate, where being people of faith is tolerated only if it remains a small private matter, kept behind the closed doors of our houses and churches, the temptation to withdraw from ...

Families “can become not only subjects of evangelization, but above all, agents of evangelization” and “instruments of peace.” Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of Knights of Columbus (USA), is convinced ...

“In marriage, we recognize a sacrament or a ‘sign’ of Jesus’ real presence in the world. I think that, very early in our marriage, we began to understand the impact of our relationship on other ...

During the panel session on “Marriage, the Family and the Search for Christian Unity,” the spouses Filippo and Francesca De Carlo, of the project (Association and Foundation) “Mistero Grande,” gave ...

Conjugal life is a dance. Geraldine Hallahan, who has been married for 40 years, has two children, five grandchildren and another one on the way, is convinced of this. As a facilitator of Accord, the ...

“We would all like to experience the joy of love in our marriage and in our family life. However, we know that we are likely to encounter many challenges, setbacks, and suffering in our lives. These ...

“Prayer requires silence, but our time does not provide it. There is no silence in traffic, nor on Twitter or Facebook. We read and chat constantly on the computer. There is no space for ...

“The family of Nazareth persecuted and refugeed in Egypt is the icon of so many Syrian families. Nearly half of the population has been forced to leave their homes, their villages and neighborhoods: ...

“Today, family associations play an important and necessary role in the promotion of the Gospel of the family. Now, this is so for at least two reasons: first, the current socio-cultural context and, ...

“I think Amoris Laetitia has come at the right time. A review of relationships and sex education in all of Ireland’s schools, including our Catholic schools, is essential.” This was stated by Msgr. ...

“The Christian family is wounded tenderness, but ostension of the sacrament of divine tenderness. As long as it will be on earth, the Christian family will always be in secret empathy with human ...

The text presented by the President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference on the last day of the Congress in Dublin is demanding and rich. The cardinal used the Gospel narrative of the Risen Lord’s ...

The former president of the Italian Forum of Family Associations (47 associations, 18 regional Forums in turn composed of 564 associations, with an estimated total of four million families involving a ...

Through the great principle: the mystery of God that shapes the family by drawing inspiration from Himself, “every couple, one’s own couple, contains the image of God; there are no series A and series ...

“The beauty of the liturgy and the family celebration of the liturgy consists in the fact that it is something that we can all do together, surrounded by other families, all in the same boat.” At the ...

In the face of the “many opinions and ideologies contrary to the Christian vision of the family,” the only valid argument is the “factum,” that is the reality of “serenity, inner joy, and personal ...

The great Mass of families with the Pope; Cardinal Farrell’s gratitude for the teaching of Amoris Laetitia as a proclamation of tender love. The baton of the World Meeting of Families is passed on.

“My presence in Ireland—Francis said during this morning’s General Audience, taking stock of the meeting that ended on Sunday—was, above all, intended to confirm the Christian families in their ...

“Separations, divorces, and small nuclei are becoming increasingly frequent.” This is the alarm launched by Msgr. Joseph Nguyễn Năng, Bishop of Phát Diệm, regarding the situation in Vietnam where, as ...

“We welcome with joy and a bit of trepidation the words from Dublin announcing that the next World Meeting of Families will be held in Rome, in 2021.” This is the comment of Gigi De Palo, national ...

The Apostolic Exhortation “Gaudete et exsultate” was the theme on which the 16th US International Meeting of the movement “Encuentros de Promoción Juvenil”, which coincided with its 50th ...

“A model of life to help young people rediscover the beauty of authentic love, as well as the value of purity.” This is how Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the new Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes ...

The September issue of L’Osservatore Romano’s monthly magazine “Women Church World” is dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the Encyclical Humanae Vitae. In the opening editorial, Lucetta Scaraffia ...

Msgr. Carlos Simón Vázquez received, on behalf of Prefect Farrell, the Australian couple Ron and Mavis Pirola who visited the Dicastery a few days after the Dublin World Meeting of Families at which ...

 “Catholic Church vs. women’s rights in Argentina” is the title of the editorial of the British medical journal The Lancet in its issue of August 18th. It refers to the events surrounding the ...

On September 15th in Curitiba, the capital of Paraná, there will be a Pro-Life Demonstration. The event is mobilized by the Archdiocese of Curitiba and hundreds of associations and entities of the ...

Over four hundred young Cubans will participate in the World Youth Day in Panama (22-27 January 2019). For the Cuban Church, this presence is a record. Thus, for the first time, young people will be ...

 “Regulation of Human Fertility in the Light of Humanae Vitae” is the title of the new book prefaced by Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, Archbishop of Valencia, and edited by Justo Aznar, Director of ...

“You are the people who make Jesus present in the world, in your small one, noiselessly, by giving and receiving love for others. This is how marriage and the family are built, and human life, ...

In Panama the preparations for the next World Youth Day are strongly advancing, accompanied by prayers for the young people from around the world who will meet Pope Francis and the Central American ...

A meeting focused on women’s “leadership” within the ecclesial world is the original initiative taken by the Diocese of Valdivia (Chile), in the framework of the diocesan pastoral guidelines for ...

The Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE) has organized a “policy briefing” on the theme “Family & Finance: A possible alliance?” that will be held on 16 October at the ...

“The most beautiful thing God created—as the Bible tells us—is the family; He created a man and a woman, and He gave them everything, entrusting the world them: grow, multiply, cultivate the land, ...

On 6 September, the Dicastery’s Secretary, Father Alexandre Awi Mello, and some officials received a small delegation from the Episcopal Conference of Sudan on the occasion of their ad limina visit to ...

The Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia and the book “Marriage and Family in the Synodal Journey of Pope Francis”, written by Msgr. Pio Vito Pinto, Dean of the Roman Rota, are at the base of the ...

The 2018 edition of “Disegni di affettività” (Designs of Affectivity), an initiative of the Italian Catholic Action for engaged and young married couples, now in its tenth year, will start tomorrow in ...

According to the procedure presented in the Decree, participants in WYD will be able to apply for a special visa for the upcoming WYD through the website of the National Immigration Service of Panama. ...

A few weeks ago, the 17th Day of the Clergy celebrated in the five dioceses of Galicia, Spain, brought together six bishops and over 150 priests around the theme of family ministry and, especially, ...

On June 19th, the Annual meeting of the Dicastery with the general moderators of the lay associations, the ecclesial movements and of the new communities was held in the Palazzo San Calisto. During ...

“The San Lorenzo Center is a privileged place for youth initiatives. We want to start prayer groups, vigils, and activities, but we are also open to other youth initiatives. We invite the young people ...

“It seems like smartphones and tablets have always existed, but they appeared just over a decade ago. Moreover, they are not—as we are led to believe—empty boxes but full jars and a multitude of ...

On 13 September, a large group of bishops from Venezuela came to our Dicastery as part of their ad limina visit. The bishops have depicted a country grappling with serious political, economic, and ...

The National Council of the Laity of Brazil (CNLB) is organizing, for its young members, a national meeting that will be held in the Sagrada Família formation center, in São Paulo, with the aim of ...

The reality of the local Church presented by the Bishops of England and Wales on the occasion of their visit to our Dicastery, on September 24th, is that of a community facing the challenges of ...

The offices of the Dicastery for the Laity Family and Life were inaugurated and blessed with the celebration of the Holy Mass, where the staff of the two previous Pontifical Councils are now also ...

Art 3 of the Statutes of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life states the following in paragraph § 1: “The Dicastery has its own members, including lay faithful, men and women, single and ...

The free union "between man and woman" continues to be the foundation of the family. This is what the Catholic Bishops of Romania have stated in a press release issued the day after the ...

A “simple and beautiful” story of friendship, in which technology is a tool for getting to know the other person, while destined to leave room for the memory of the heart and an urgent question: ...

“God is a ‘lover of life’, for this reason “we must say to all the men and women in the world: do not despise life!”. Pope Francis during the general audience in his catechesis on the Fifth ...

With 700,000 faithful out of a population of over 5 million, the Catholic Church in Scotland is present nationwide in public debate and on sensitive issues such as the end of life, research on ...

“The result aside, we should also reflect on the fact that an apparent failure can be full of hope”: were the word of the Greek-Catholic Bishop, Claudiu Pop, vicar of the Cardinal of Blaj ...

To focus on the “integral education” of young people, to accompany them in  understanding their identity as an individual composed of body and soul called upon to live their relationships with ...

A million children praying the Rosary together for unity and peace.  As has been customary for the past 13 years, Aid to the Church in need has invited children from all over the world to ...

“She is My Mother” will be in the bookshops tomorrow and is the fruit of a conversation between Pope Francis and Alexandre Awi Mello, Secretary of our Dicastery. “This book – affirmed the Pope – has ...

The Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life has provided the Synod Fathers, gathered together in Rome at this time,  with a set of the reports presented by the Ecclesial Movements on the ...

We are publishing the talk Marco Busati, who cooperates with our Dicastery and is the  Director of Hope, is  giving in high schools in  Cluj, Blaj, Oradea and Bucarest this month, in ...

The General Assembly of the Catholic Women’s Organisations  is being held in Dakar, Senegal until 22nd October on the topic: “Women, carriers of living water to a world which thirsts for ...

Kevin Farrell, Prefect,  Alexandre Awi Mello, Secretary and Father Joao Chagas from the Youth Office of the Dicastery are all attending the Synod of Young People on the matter of “Young People, ...

A few days ago, Father  José Guillermo Gutiérrez from our Dicastery attended a conference called "Truth and Values in the Family and in the Community", organized by the Catholic ...

“Shattered Ties” is the title of the series of encounters proposed by the Family Pastoral Office of the Diocese of Padua  and addressed to people living in circumstances of separation, divorce or ...

“Giving the best of yourself” is a document addressed in particular to persons and organizations striving to defend the values present in the sports experience.  It aims to be a document that ...

We have chosen some ‘pearls’ on the three parts of the Instrumentum laboris from the “small groups” which show the unique connection between the family pastoral mission and that of young people. Above ...

The new members and counselors of the Dicastery; the next World Meeting of Families to take place in Rome in 2021;  the Bishops’ ad limina visits; details of the international meeting organised ...

On 19th October, Don José Guillermo Gutiérrez from our Dicastery attended a workshop at the Institute for Families at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. His talk – attended by a large ...

Three parts, 12 chapters, 167 paragraphs, 60 pages, this is the composition of the Final Document of the XV General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the theme “  Young People, the Faith and ...

1.      The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, wishes to announce that on December 8th 2018 the Holy See will erect a body providing a new, single, international service ...

A section exclusively for contributions from associations and movements where you can read and reread experiences, reflections and reports presented on the occasion of the get-togethers promoted by ...

The Pontifical Institute for the Family - with its 35 years of anthropological studies on the truth about man and about  woman, on love, on marriage and the family, on the light in Cristian ...

Every Christian vocation, like the priesthood and consecrated virginity, is spousal. Pope Francis recalled this yesterday on completing his catechesis on the sixth commandment: You shall not commit ...

A few days ago, Monsignor Miguel Delgado Galindo,  the delegate of the Dicastery Prefect, attended the General Conference on Catholic Fraternity (Southern European area),  that took place in ...

The letter on the participation of the laity in public life that Pope Francis sent on 19th March to Cardinal Francesco Marc Oellet,  President of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, ...