During the two-day Pilgrimage of the Families to the tomb of St. Peter together with Pope Francis (25 and 26 October 2013), we collected some testimonies from the participants.
Adriana Sachetto, Padua
«For so many years my husband and I have been part of a group of families in our parish, and for over twenty years I have been involved in family ministry. For me it’s a great thrill to be here, in this festive square of grandparents with children and grandchildren, with Pope Francis; we feel so close to the heart of the families, of all of them, of the smallest and the biggest. This Pope is at the side to the parents as they perform their delicate task, which is also a mission. I have two children; my daughter is a missionary in Ecuador, and I have always said that I’m the grandmother of many children: at least of the 1,200 who attend her school. In that country, there is great poverty. Women bear the burden of the family, of education, but also of the economic organization. They don’t have water, they don’t have a home, and they lack essential goods. Droves of gold miners come from abroad and throw the mines into the rivers, polluting the water. Because of this pollution, children are born with severe birth defects and many women lose their children in the womb. Here, today, my prayer is also for those families who are far away physically but close and tightly clutched in my heart».
Rosario Passalacqua, Rome
«I owe being here with thousands of families today to my son. He is the youngest of my three children, and President of the Youth of the Azione Cattolica. I’ve suffered a separation. My two eldest sons, who are lawyers, do not let me see my grandchildren, and this situation makes me suffer a lot. I remain faithful to my wife, because I believe in the sacrament of marriage. I know I have made mistakes with my wife and my children, but I feel so strongly what Pope Francis says unceasingly: Mercy should be the polar star also in relations between spouses, between parents and children, between all the members of a family. The faith and culture keep me from falling into depression. Today, I’m asking the Lord for serenity and harmony in our family, even in the separation».
Therese and Tony Zammit, Malta
«We are a group of twenty people from Malta, members of an Association of Catholic grandparents, founded in Ireland by Catherine Wiley in 2009. We have two children—a boy and a girl—and four grandchildren. In our country, there is great solidarity between grandparents. We go to Mass together on Sundays, we go on vacation together, and we help one another in teaching the faith to our grandchildren, through the good example and with good words, correcting inopportune behavior. Our daughter doesn’t work, so that she can devote herself entirely to the family. Today, it’s very difficult to raise children. There’s no time for affections, especially for the family. We celebrated the 40th anniversary of our marriage. If someone asks what the secret of life-long marriage is, we say that it is easy and difficult at the same time: to believe one another and work on the relationship every day, with lots of patience and a great capacity for forgiveness for one another. As Pope Francis says, thanking each other for the daily gift of love, respecting each other and apologizing for the lack of attention, of thoughtfulness, of love, that sometimes creeps into our life together. Today, however, it’s all the more difficult for young couples, because culture and society are not friends of the family, neither on a speculative level nor on the practical one of concrete organization. This is why it’s important that families enter into networks with each other, also so that they may together experience the joy of faith».
