In India family apostolate should be top priority on Church's pastoral agenda, says Cardinal Toppo

(15 July 2006) : “Family apostolate with faith formation and Christian initiation should be the top priority in the pastoral agenda of the Church,” declared Cardinal Toppo President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India, on his return on Friday from the 5th World Meeting of Families held last week in Spain. Indian Church must play a prophetic role in assisting our families to relish the God-given gift of family to humanity,” said the archbishop of Ranchi. Lauding the initiative of late Pope John Paul II in starting the World Youth Day and World Family Meet, the Cardinal said, “It has been prophetic on the part of the beloved Pope to have begun such events of great importance,” These world events have brought hundreds of thousands of youth and families from different corners of the world to share joys and sorrows, and to bear witness to Catholic faith,” declared the first tribal Cardinal of India. “The mammoth gathering of about 1.5 million Catholics around their universal Pastor in Valencia, Pope Benedict XVI was a privileged expression of Catholic faith and family spirit,” Cardinal Toppo added. “Christianity is love and the heart of family life is love. If love is missing the future of the society and the Church would be at stake,” cautioned the Cardinal. “Family is the school of faith; and in our families, the younger generation should be initiated in to Catholic faith and inspired to share it with others,” said Cardinal Toppo.