The Sacrament of Marriage, Faith and Munus Docendi

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 Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. The proceedings will conclude at 1.30 pm, following a period of dialogue and discussion. Approximately 75 representatives will be in attendance by invitation, arriving from various Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, and from the world of seminaries and formation: including rectors, lecturers, and those who share the responsibility of forming future pastors and supporting the Church in its educational mission.

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 young people, engaged couples, and married couples, and, at the same time, on how to train ministers and pastoral workers capable of supporting this journey with greater awareness and competence.

The seminar focuses particularly on the formation of priests. The theme of Christian marriage, in fact, does not concern family ministry in the strict sense alone, but raises questions about how future priests are prepared to understand, proclaim, and accompany the vocation of marriage in its human, spiritual, and pastoral dimensions.

In many church contexts, there is a perceived need for formation that is less abstract and better able to engage with the everyday lives of families, the questions raised by young people, and the changing landscape of emotional culture.

This day also forms part of the celebrations marking the tenth anniversary of Amoris laetitia, which is being commemorated this year. In his message dated 19 March 2026 for the tenth anniversary of the exhortation, Pope Leo XIV recalled that, through the sacrament of marriage, spouses form a ‘domestic Church’ and that their role is essential for the education and transmission of the faith. The Pope renewed his call to intensify the Church’s commitment in this area, so that those called to marriage may live out their marital love in Christ, and young people may rediscover the depth of this vocation.

Against this backdrop, the seminar aims to highlight a conviction that is increasingly shared within the life of the Church: the vocation to marriage cannot be regarded as a secondary issue in the formation of future pastors. The effectiveness of evangelisation, the maturing of faith and the Christian community’s ability to support the younger generations depend, to a large extent, on the quality of emotional and family life.