Family, become what you are!

The National Symposium on Families is an event organised annually in Brazil by the National Commission for Family Ministry of the CNBB (Brazilian Bishops’ Conference). At this year’s event, Under-Secretary Gabriella Gambino sent a message of greeting and encouragement, which was read out immediately after that sent by the Holy Father Leo XIV.

The 16th edition of the Symposium (16º Simpósio Nacional das Famílias) took place on 30 May 2026 at the Padre Vítor Coelho de Almeida Events Centre, within the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida.

This year’s theme and motto

“Família, torna-te aquilo que és!” (Family, become what you are!) was the theme chosen for this year. It is a quote taken from the Apostolic Exhortation Familiaris Consortio by Saint John Paul II, which marks its 45th anniversary this year, aimed at rediscovering the true identity and mission of the family unit as the “domestic Church”. The motto “O amor jamais acabará!” (Love will never end), on the other hand, is taken from St Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians 13:8. It reminds us that perfect and divine love is the true biological, spiritual and social pillar that sustains every home and every family in the face of today’s challenges.

The 2026 edition thus celebrated the 45th anniversary of Familiaris Consortio and also marked the 10th anniversary of Pope Francis’s post-synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia.

Pope Leo XIV: the family fulfils a fundamental and irreplaceable mission as an ‘educator in peace’

For the occasion, the Holy Father Leo XIV sent a special video message inviting the Church and its pastors to look upon the families of Brazil with “realism and compassion”, recognising their irreplaceable role in educating for peace.

“It is necessary,” said the Pope, “to look upon families with realism and compassion, mindful of the countless difficulties afflicting them – that is, their fragilities, crises, anxieties and so many other situations of suffering. All this demands a merciful approach and prudent, mature discernment on the part of the Church and pastoral workers.” He then issued an invitation to look to the Family of Nazareth, so that “the small yet fundamental virtues of the home where Jesus was born and grew up, learning from Saint Joseph and the Virgin Mary, may serve as an inspiration and model for all our families and be a source from which true peace is sought. Indeed, as Benedict XVI pointed out, the family fulfils a fundamental and irreplaceable mission as an ‘educator of peace’”.

Gabriella Gambino: family life is a school of discipleship, which can inspire other families and build up the Church

“Let us not be discouraged by difficulties,” said Gambino in her video message, “family life is a journey taken step by step, day after day, in which gifts and opportunities are hidden, capable of making families witnesses to a greater Love: in the faith of grandparents and children we discover the Living Christ in our homes; from the fidelity of spouses we learn resilience and forgiveness; from the trust of children we receive hope. Family life is a school of discipleship, which can inspire other families and build up the Church in our homes, within the rhythms of daily life. This is yet another reason why the Pope addresses us as families, inviting us to be ‘domestic Churches’! What a beautiful expression this is. It has not only a theological meaning, but a practical one too: the family lives in the home (domus), where, through the relationships between spouses, between parents and children, and between grandparents and grandchildren, virtues can be lived out, rituals and traditions passed on, and love, generosity, forgiveness and peace learnt. Ultimately, the expression ‘domestic Church’ expresses what families are in potential, what they are called to be: a place of God’s presence and an instrument for proclaiming this presence both within and outside the home. In this sense, the time has come to make families agents of evangelisation, no longer merely passive recipients of pastoral care. The family must not only be helped, but must also help. It must not only be accompanied, but must also accompany others.

Hora da Família: a resource for prayer and family catechesis

During the Symposium, the annual resource Hora da Família was promoted and presented; it is a useful pastoral tool for prayer and community and family catechesis.