"The family is not a relic of the past, nor is it a remnant of a bygone reality or a place where the emancipation of individuals, particularly women, that could allow a freer, more egalitarian and happier society, is impeded. On the contrary—and many surveys prove the fact—, the family remains society's most valuable resource, the place where people learn the decisiveness of the we for building and supporting a more just and more united society."
Msgr. Vincenzo Paglia, President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, said this to the participants of the Day of Study, organized in Rome by the Community of Sant'Egidio on the theme "Catholics and Shiites in dialogue on the responsibility of believers in a pluralistic world for peace."
In the last part of the 20th century, he continued, "a deep rift with the past was created. It came as a hiatus. For the first time in history, the original triptych that was given by God to the world, i.e. marriage, family and life, was questioned. Today, it is easy to dismantle and reassemble this triptych at will: all kinds of bonds are called marriage, all forms of being together constitute a family, and life can also build the lab." In light of all these elements, Archbishop Paglia pointed to the emerging "urgent task" of "restoring cultural dignity to the family, by bringing it back into the heart of social debate, and proposing it both at the center of political life and the economy, as well as in the life of the Christian community."
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