The "central importance" of the family is highlighted as "the place in which life—the gift of God—can be properly welcomed and protected against the many attacks to which it is exposed, and can develop in accordance with what constitutes authentic human growth. In the face of the so-called culture of death, the family is the heart of the culture of life." Pope Francis also speaks about the family in the Encyclical "Praise be to You," presented a few days ago, evoking it among the "educational areas" together with school, the media and catechesis. If "good education plants seeds when we are young, and these continue to bear fruit throughout life," in the family—the Pope writes—"we first learn how to show love and respect for life; we are taught the proper use of things, order and cleanliness, respect for the local ecosystem and care for all creatures. In the family we receive an integral education, which enables us to grow harmoniously in personal maturity."
In the family, we read the same paragraph n. 213, "we learn to ask without demanding, to say 'thank you' as an expression of genuine gratitude for what we have been given, to control our aggressiveness and greed, and to ask forgiveness when we have caused harm. These simple gestures of heartfelt courtesy help to create a culture of shared life and respect for our surroundings."
