Laity Family Life

Ten years after Amoris laetitia: Preparatory Document for the October 2026 Meeting published

Mon, 06 Jul 2026 12:04:10 +0200

Ten years after Amoris laetitia: proclaiming the Gospel with families today. The Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life and the General Secretariat of the Synod have published the Thematic Framework, the preparatory and guiding document for the Meeting convened by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, to be held in the Vatican from 7 to 14 October 2026 with the Heads of the Eastern Catholic Churches and the Presidents of the Episcopal Conferences. The document has been sent to the Heads of...

For respect for human life: Pope Leo XIV’s July prayer intention

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 16:54:00 +0200

A few weeks ago, during his Apostolic Journey to Spain, Pope Leo XIV addressed these words in the Congress of Deputees: “Every human life must be recognized and safeguarded from conception to its natural end, in every circumstance of its existence.” In a world marked by what Pope Francis called a “throwaway culture,” Pope Leo XIV’s July prayer intention is for respect for human life in all its states. Through the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network’s “Pray with the Pope” campaign, the Pope...

Sacramento del matrimonio, fede e munus docendi

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 15:04:57 +0200

On Tuesday 28 April 2026, at the Casina Pio IV, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life will host a study day on “The Sacrament of Marriage, Faith and the Munus Docendi". This initiative stems from the realisation that the relationship between marriage, faith and the Church’s mission is now a pastoral and educational issue of particular importance. In a time marked by profound cultural changes, the event aims to provide an opportunity to reflect on how to accompany...

Annual Meeting with the Moderators of International Associations of the Faithful: the first day

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 14:45:35 +0200

Cardinal Kevin Farrell opened the Meeting, which continued with presentations by experts on the topic and updates from the Dicastery. The Holy Father’s visit, group discussions and the recitation of the Rosary in the Vatican Gardens were the highlights of the first day’s programme. ‘A warm greeting to all of you, Moderators and Delegates of international associations of the faithful, ecclesial movements and new communities. […] Continuing in the tradition of recent years, this meeting...

Life is always a good: Under-Secretary Gambino’s visit to Poland

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 14:42:44 +0200

Gabriella Gambino, Undersecretary of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, was invited by His Excellency Monsignor Wiesław Śmigiel, President of the Council for the Family of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, and by the Director of the National Centre for Family Pastoral Care of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Father Robert Wielądek, on 19 and 20 May to Poland for a visit and a series of institutional meetings. A visit to Poland to strengthen relations with the Polish family...

Marriage and faith: a meeting at the Casina Pio IV on the formation of future pastors

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 14:38:33 +0200

A study seminar dedicated to the relationship between marriage, faith and priestly formation took place on 28 April at the Casina Pio IV, with the aim of exploring an issue of growing relevance to the life of the Church in the context of the new evangelisation: how to form priests capable of accompanying young people, engaged couples and married couples in living Christian marriage as an authentic experience of faith within a cultural context marked by secularisation. Organised by the...

Magnifica Humanitas: Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical

Mon, 22 Jun 2026 14:36:13 +0200

On 25 May 2026, the Holy Father Leo XIV’s first Encyclical Letter was published, entitled Magnifica Humanitas. On the protection of the human person in the age of artificial intelligence. On the 135th anniversary of Rerum novarum, the Holy Father presents a reflection on the Church’s social doctrine in the age of artificial intelligence. The call is to safeguard “a magnificent humanity inhabited by God”, by promoting truth, the dignity of work, social justice and peace. The Pope writes:...

Pope Leo XIV’s Message on the occasion of the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 13:30:59 +0200

No one is forgotten by God. Pope Leo XIV’s message on the occasion of the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly was published today; the sixth edition of this event will be celebrated on Sunday, July 26, 2026. In the text, the Holy Father reminds us that the Lord knows each of our faces and that his love never fails, not even in the frailty of old age. The Day, writes Pope Leo XIV, « is an opportunity to rediscover that the Church is called to be a mother to all and that...

VI Giornata Mondiale dei Nonni e degli Anziani

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 13:30:51 +0200

Prayer for the 6th World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly Holy Father Who watches over every person Watch over me too when I am elderly. You have revealed your name to me in Christ, And You were not discouraged by my frailties. You hold me tenderly in your hands, And You caress my lines. You will never forget me! (see Is 49:15). Grant that I may not fear my weakness; Help me learn to love it Just as You love it. Help me learn to listen to it Just as You listen to it. Help...

Un ponte verso il cielo

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:16:53 +0200

LETTER FROM POPE LEO XIV, SIGNED BY CARDINAL SECRETARY OF STATE PIETRO PAROLIN, TO HIS EMINENCE CARDINAL KEVIN J. FARRELL ON THE OCCASION OF THE MEETING ON THE PASTORAL CARE OF THE ELDERLY [Multimedia] ___________________________________ Your Most Reverend Excellency, In the name of the Holy Father, and in my own, I am pleased to extend a warm greeting to you and to the group of experts convened by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life to reflect on pastoral care for the...

A Bridge Towards Heaven: The Magisterium of Fragility in a Time of Strength

Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:05:10 +0200

On 10 June 2026, the study day entitled “A Bridge Towards Heaven: The Magisterium of Fragility In A Time Of Strength” will be held in Rome, in the Sala Pio XI of Palazzo San Calisto. The event is organised by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life as part of its competence regarding the pastoral care of the elderly (cfr. PE, 128 §1). The meeting aims to initiate a structured theological reflection on old age, offering ecclesial communities the tools to move beyond a narrow...

Servire, accompagnare, guidare. Fondamenti e prassi nel governo delle associazioni

Thu, 21 May 2026 14:45:02 +0200

On May 21–22, in the New Synod Hall at the Vatican, approximately 200 participants—including moderators, or their delegates, and members of the central governing bodies of 104 of the 115 international associations of the faithful and entities recognized or established by the Holy See— gather to reflect on the theme “Serving, Accompanying, Guiding. Foundations and Practices of government in Associations.” Government in associations is, therefore, the theme chosen for this Meeting, a theme that...

2026

Thu, 21 May 2026 14:45:02 +0200

Cherish and nurture your gifts

Thu, 21 May 2026 14:33:28 +0200

Below is the Address given by the Holy Father Leo XIV to Participants in the Meeting of Moderators of Associations of the Faithful, Ecclesial Movements and New Communities, organised by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, which is currently taking place in the Vatican, in the New Synod Hall. *** In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you! Dear brothers and sisters, good morning to you all! It is a please to meet with you this morning, to...

Serving, Accompanying, Guiding. Foundations and Practice of government in Associations

Wed, 20 May 2026 16:26:00 +0200

As is customary, this year the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life is organizing and hosting the Annual Meeting with the Moderators of the International Associations of the Faithful, Ecclesial Movements, and New Communities. 200 participants—including moderators, or their delegates, and members of the central governing bodies of 104 of the 115 international associations of the faithful and entities recognized or established by the Holy See On May 21–22, in the New Synod Hall at...

Henri Caffarel, founder of Équipes Notre-Dame, has been declared Venerable

Fri, 15 May 2026 09:38:12 +0200

The Holy Father Leo XIV has authorized the Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate the decree recognizing the heroic virtues of the diocesan priest Henri Caffarel, founder of the Équipes Notre-Dame Association and the Secular Institute Fraternité Notre-Dame de la Résurrection. A French national, Henri Caffarel was born in Lyon on July 30, 1903. In 1923, while reading the book Vademecum proposé aux âmes religieuses by the Italian nun Benigna Consolata Ferrero, he sensed his...

WYD Seoul 2027 Announces Five Patron Saints

Mon, 04 May 2026 14:07:49 +0200

The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) for WYD Seoul 2027 announces the five patron saints of the 2027 World Youth Day in Seoul. At each World Youth Day, patron saints are chosen as models of faith for young people, offering guidance through the witness of their lives and spirituality. For WYD Seoul 2027, the saints were selected in light of the event’s spiritual themes of truth, love and peace. The five Patron Saints of WYD Seoul 2027...

Integral Ecology in the Life of the Family

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 10:33:52 +0200

The Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life have published “Integral Ecology in the life of the family" a document developed to transmit in the family the care of Creation and of human life. A joint document with the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development The volume is the fruit of the joint efforts of these two Dicasteries of the Holy See and its preparation has seen the direct involvement also of theologians,...

The Sacrament of Marriage, Faith and Munus Docendi

Fri, 24 Apr 2026 14:10:47 +0200

On Tuesday 28 April 2026, at the Casina Pio IV, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life will host a study day on “The Sacrament of Marriage, Faith and the Munus Docendi". The programme includes an introduction at 8.30 am by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery. This will be followed by two presentations given by Fr Andrea Bozzolo, Rector of the Pontifical Salesian University, and Fr Fabio Rosini, biblical scholar and professor of Homiletics and Pastoral Theology...

At the service of the Church in Nigeria, Uganda, The Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Liberia

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 09:31:42 +0200

Four Episcopal Conferences from West Africa—two from Nigeria, one from Uganda, and one comprising Gambia, Sierra Leone, and Liberia—met with the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life to engage in dialogue and listen to one another on the most important issues for their local Churches on the African continent. Hope in Nigeria Despite economic and social limitations, the Church continues to invest in formation, evangelization, and accompaniment, keeping hope alive. The lay faithful...

Relational Health in Family Bonds in the Context of the Family Global Compact

Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:40:36 +0200

Relational health in family bonds is today a central concern in the humanities, social sciences, and theology. In Issue No. 10 of the journal Quaderns de Polítiques Familiars. Journal of Family Policies, Prof. Gabriella Gambino, Undersecretary of the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, addresses in an...

Information Regarding World Children’s Day

Fri, 27 Mar 2026 14:26:59 +0100

Following the Chirograph of the Holy Father Leo XIV regarding World Children’s Day (February 12, 2026), the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, after careful consideration and in agreement with the Holy Father, has considered it appropriate to cancel the celebration of the Second World Children’s Day, initially scheduled to take place in Rome from September 25 to 27, 2026. All initiatives aimed at the pastoral care of children may be celebrated, at the discretion of the Ordinaries, at...

Message of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV for the Tenth Anniversary of the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:26:32 +0100

Dear brothers and sisters, On 19 March 2016, Pope Francis offered the universal Church a luminous message of hope regarding conjugal love and family life, which was the fruit of three years of synodal discernment enriched by the Jubilee Year of Mercy: the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia. On this tenth anniversary, we give thanks to the Lord for the stimulus that has encouraged reflection and pastoral conversion in the Church, and ask God for the courage...

A Community of Believers and the Power of Witness: Discovering the Beauty of Marriage

Wed, 18 Mar 2026 17:06:05 +0100

“Cultivating the proclamation of the faith, fostering the involvement in the community of those who approach the Church before and after marriage, and offering “joyful” and “contagious” witnesses to family life, these are the first steps that can help us create together a favorable environment for the marriage catechumenate.” With these words, Cardinal Kevin Farrell addressed the participants in the 4th North American Marriage Catechumenate Summit, which took place from March 16...

Worldwide Marriage Encounter: a new association recognized by the Dicastery

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 15:08:18 +0100

On Wednesday March 11th 2026, in the offices of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, more than thirty delegates representing five continents took part in the ceremony granting Worldwide Marriage Encounter canonical recognition as an international private association of the faithful. The Decree of recognition is dated February 2nd 2026, Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, and also approves the associations statutes, and grants it juridical personality in canon law. The Prefect,...