Pope Francis: The best medicine to heal the pain of a wounded family is forgiveness

Pope Francis dedicates his prayer intention for the month of March to families in crisis. This is an increasingly more important theme in society today in which the number of separations and divorces is greater than marriages in many countries. In the video message produced by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network that illustrates his intention, the Pope asks that we pray “that broken families might discover the cure for their wounds through forgiveness, rediscovering each other’s gifts, even in their differences.”

The perfect family does not exist

Doors slamming, shouting at home in front of the children, strong arguments between parents and children, conflict between brothers and sisters – The Pope Video accompanying Pope Francis’s words shows scenes of family that most of us are familiar with. In fact, every family has its sufferings, its joys, and its crisis moments: “We all dream about a beautiful, perfect family. But there’s no such thing as a perfect family,” the Pope confirms.

Conflicts often originate because of differences between members of the family itself. This is why it is necessary to know how to respect and appreciate each person, with the conviction that everyone contributes something to family unity.

To know how to forgive and to feel forgiven is a basic experience in family life

Pope Francis also states that when conflicts create deep wounds, “the best medicine to heal the pain of a wounded family is forgiveness.” Giving others another chance as God does with us, “forgiveness always renews the family, making it look forward with hope.” Even in those cases when restoring the family unit is not possible, when, in the words of the Pope, “there’s no possibility of the ‘happy ending’ we’d like,” forgiveness frees us from sadness and resentment.

However, as Pope Francis explains in his Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia, “experience shows that with proper assistance and acts of reconciliation, through grace, a great percentage of troubled marriages find a solution in a satisfying manner. To know how to forgive and to feel forgiven is a basic experience in family life.” What can be learned by surmounting a crisis is that “every new step along the way can help couples find new ways to happiness.”

The Jubilee 2025 indulgence

Within the context of the Holy Year 2025, it is worth recalling that one of the conditions necessary to gain the indulgence granted on the occasion of the Jubilee is to pray for the intentions of the Supreme Pontiff. The Pope Video presents and distributes his specific intentions.

This video was recorded a few weeks ago. We unite in prayer for the health of our Holy Father Francis, together with the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network.