The Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the Family is open today, Thursday, to the public, for a meeting to reflect on the “New Anthropological Horizons and the Rights of the Family and its Members.” Before the meeting, Holy Mass was celebrated, under the presidency of Archbishop Emeritus of Quito (Ecuador), Msgr. Raúl Eduardo Vela.
This meeting, which took place in “Domus Pacis,” was attended by over two hundred people. The morning session was moderated by the Cardinal of Manila, His Eminence Luis Antonio Tagle. The inaugural address of the President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, was followed by the report of the Dicastery’s Secretary, Msgr. Jean Laffitte, on “The Anthropological and Theological Foundations of the Charter of the Rights of the Family.” According to Bishop Laffitte, among the reasons that convinced John Paul II to publish the Charter of the Rights of the Family were precisely the threats that already then loomed over this institution. In the course of the last thirty years, these threats and challenges have become an ever increasing reality. He then examined the rights of the family and explicated the respective anthropological and theological foundations.
After a dialogue with the participants, the Spanish philosopher and jurist, Andrés Ollero, spoke on the topic of “natural marriage.” He deplored the decline of the “natural law” and asserted its existence «as a minimum ethical imperative to ensure sufficiently a coexistence that deserves to be considered human». He referred to marriage as an institution of natural law, legally relevant by its very nature. Teresa S. Collett, American Professor of Family Law, spoke on the theme of the “Mission of the State in the Recognition of Marriage.” Professor Collett recalled that Article 16 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights recognizes marriage as a right and defines it as the union between a man and a woman, aimed at forming a family. Finally, she stressed the need to protect the children born from the union between a man and a woman.
The afternoon session was moderated by Cardinal John Olorunfemi, Archbishop of Abuya (Nigeria). The first speaker was Professor Carl Anderson, President of the Knights of Columbus, who dealt with “The Charter of the Rights of the Family and Contemporary Culture.” Among other things, he stated that «the family is at the center of Christianity with the evangelization of contemporary culture».
Then, the American Professor Jane Adolphe gave a lecture on “The Charter of the Rights of the Family and International Law”. Finally, the Italian historian Lucetta Scaraffia spoke about “The Charter of the Rights of the Family and Women’s Rights” and the economist Stefano Zamagni about “Aggregated Couples and Generative Couples”. The day ended with Vespers.