In his opening speech, Msgr. Gonzalez recalled the words that Pope John Paul II pronounced in Santa Clara during the Homily at the Mass for the families: «Cuba: care for your families, in order to keep your heart pure!». «Marriage, blessed by God, between a man and a woman is the way that leads people to true happiness», the President of the Episcopal Commission said. The “key issues” in the life of the family, addressed at the Meeting in the light of the Social Doctrine of the Catholic Church and on the basis of research conducted by the Commission under the guidance of Father Jorge Cela, SJ, President of the Conference of Latin American Provincials, were: family economics, the aging population, the breakdown of the family and domestic violence. In spite of many threats and great difficulties, the family remains «the fundamental unit of every society” and a “great hope for the future».