Marriage: an icon of the relationship between God and people, says Pope Benedict XVI
(May 12, 2006) : Pope Benedict XVI praised late Pope John Paul II's teaching on marriage
on Thursday, when he received participants in an international congress promoted by
Pope John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and the Family of the Pontifical
Lateran University. The institute is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary, and
the theme of the congress is: "The heritage of John Paul II on marriage and the family:
to love human love." In his address, the Holy Father identified two elements characterizing
"the novelty of Pope John Paul II's teaching on human love." The first is the fact
that "marriage and the family are rooted in the most intimate core of truth about
man and his destiny." The second element is "that Christ, fullness of the Father's
revelation of love, also reveals the full truth of man's vocation of love, which can
only be completely achieved in the sincere giving of self." Pope Benedict then outlined
the institute’s task that is to illuminate the truth of love as a road to completeness
in all forms of human existence. Authentic love becomes a light, guiding all life
to its fulfilment, creating a society in which mankind can live. The communion of
life and love that is marriage is thus a real good for society," the Pope said. "Avoiding
confusion with other kinds of union based on a weak form of love is, today, particularly
urgent, he said. Only the rock of complete and irrevocable love between man and woman
is capable of acting as a foundation for a society that can be home to all human beings,"
Pope Benedict concluded.