On Friday, September 27th, the Plenary Assembly of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, in Sainte-Adèle, Quebec, came to its conclusion. Among other topics, the discussion dealt with the situation of the family in contemporary society and its pastoral accompaniment. “God’s intention for the family is encountering in our day a variety of obstacles that tend to relegate the divine design to the margins of human consideration. These come not only from the trends in our country that presume to envision and implant a notion of family other than that written by God in the very constitution of the human person, but also from the increasingly diverse and negative influences that confront families on a daily basis, such as substance abuse, pornography and even domestic violence.” The delegates of the Diocese of Toronto, Montreal and Quebec have specifically encouraged pastoral attention for victims of domestic violence and stressed the importance of preparation for the sacrament of marriage and the involvement of the couples in the family ministry has been encouraged, in particular by the. The new President of the Canadian Bishops‘ Conference is Msgr. Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of Gatineau, up to now Vice President of the Conference.