A Book containing the reflections on the 40th Plenary Assembly of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences
“I vescovi europei su demografia e famiglia in Europa” (The European Bishops on Demography and the Family in Europe) is the title of the book containing the reflections and discussions of the 40th Plenary Assembly of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences, which brought the Presidents of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European countries together in Zagreb in 2010. The investigation is centered on demographics and the family, photographed in 47 countries. Giancarlo Blangiardo and Simona Maria Mirabelli conduct the analysis that confirms the decline in the population that has had an impact on the type of family policies implemented by different countries. The declining birth rate is so heavy and widespread that there is talk about a “demographic winter,” which also influences the general cultural climate. As to the Catholics, the publication reveals their desire to grow in a more conscious and documented faith, in order to evaluate critically the dominant culture that has challenged every value. The Church is entrusted with an educational task that is more urgent than ever for the defense of life, marriage between a man and a woman, the family and religious freedom.