The Holy See Press Office held a press conference on 31 May to present details of the 10th World Congress of Families. The conference will be held in June this year, and the main venue will be in Rome.
(Vatican News Network)Following the 2018 World Congress of Families in Dublin, Rome will host the 10th World Congress of Families from June 22 to 26 this year. While preparations were in full swing, the Press Room of the Holy See held a press conference on 31 May to announce some details of the conference. Ms. Gabriella Gambino, Under-Secretary-General of the Holy See Ministry for the Laity, Family and Life, told reporters present that, despite the postponement of the Congress due to the Covid-19 pandemic, dioceses in Rome and around the world are ready for the tenth World Congress of Families.
The theme of this conference is “Family Love: Vocations and the Path to Sanctification”. The assembly will kick off on Wednesday, June 22, in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall, with Pope Francis also attending the opening ceremony. Then, from Thursday 23 to Saturday 25 June, a pastoral meeting will also take place in the Paul VI Hall. Pope Francis will preside at Mass on Saturday afternoon in St. Peter’s Square and lead the faithful to recite the Angelus on Sunday.
Regarding the details of the pastoral meeting, Ms. Gambino said that this year’s event will be different from the previous one: the pastoral meeting will no longer be an academic seminar based on theology-doctrinal content, but will be a time of encounter and listening. The aim is to “develop a clear outline for the possible development of family pastoral care in the coming years, in accordance with the theme chosen by the Pope, taking into account several important instructions contained in the exhortation “The Joy of Love”. The Pastoral Conference will feature five main workshops based on a number of core themes. These topics include: family dilemmas in today’s society, preparation for married life, and several “existentially marginal” situations within the family.
Mgr. Walter Insero, Director of the Social Communication Office of the Diocese of Rome, spoke at a press conference about the opening of the World Congress of Families, pointing out that its theme is “The beauty of the family”. The opening ceremony will be held in partnership with the Holy See Communication, Rai, and the Diocesan Social Communication Office of Rome. At the opening ceremony, multiple families will witness and artists will perform on the same stage.
Regarding the question-and-answer session of the reporters, the organizers said that the World Congress of Families will be an international event, they are trying to accommodate families from poorer countries, and there will also be Ukrainian representatives participating in the Congress. Asked about the involvement of LGBT families, Ms. Gambino noted that, in the spirit of The Joy of Love, the focus is on kindness to accompany everyone and encourage them to step toward the love of the Father. All families need to feel the company of the Church.
In addition, a letter from Cardinal Angelo de Donatis, the Pope’s acting bishop of Rome, was read out at the press conference. The cardinal said that the first beatified couple, Luigi and Maria Beltrame Quattrocchi, will be the patrons of the 10th World Congress of Families.
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