"There are various reasons why we are seeing, also in Africa, a trend towards the breakdown of the family." Therefore, "the Church is called to evaluate and encourage every initiative to strengthen the family, which is the real source of all forms of fraternity and the foundation and primary way of peace." Pope Francis said this, last Saturday in the Consistory Hall, representatives of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar. "Above all, the youth–the Pope added, addressing the Bishops–need of your witness: young men and women look to us. In Africa, the future is in the hands of the young, who need to be protected from new and unscrupulous forms of 'colonization' such as the pursuit of success, riches, and power at all costs, as well as fundamentalism and the distorted use of religion, in addition to new ideologies which destroy the identity of individuals and of families. The most effective way to overcome the temptation to give in to harmful lifestyles–he said–is by investing in education. Education will also help to overcome a widespread mentality of injustice and violence, as well as ethnic divisions. The greatest need is for a model of education which teaches the young to think critically and encourages growth in moral values."