Second Day of World Family Gathering at Mexico
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(January 16, 2009) The promotion of family values was one of the most important messages transmitted during the first two days of the 6th World Meeting of Families in Mexico, according to a spokesman. Father Omar Sotelo, the executive secretary of the Commission for Pastoral Communication for the Episcopal Conference of Mexico, spoke regarding the fruits of the first two days of the theological-pastoral congress of the event, which is under way through Sunday in the Mexican capital. The day began with the enthronement of a faithful replication of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which in 1531 was imprinted to St. Juan Diego and until today has remained intact. From the early hours of the morning, more than 10,000 participants from all over the world began to arrive to the conference hall, the Family Expo, the chapels and confessionals, adoration of the blessed Sacrament, and to meet up with all the priests, bishops, cardinals, seminarians, religious and volunteers that are participating in the event. Doctor Pierpaolo Donati, a member of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, contended that there are certain virtues that keep society working, things like honesty and participation -- and without families, those virtues would cease to exist and the society utterly depends on families for the virtues it needs to continue existing. He cantered his discourse on an analysis of the important role of the family in social well-being and the formation of virtuous citizens. He then reviewed the social virtues that depend on the family, such as participation, disinterested relationships, and honesty. "The family does not have a working substitute for generating social virtues," he emphasized. The social scientist went on to explain that in the family, the spousal and fraternal bond cannot be cancelled; the people who are in these relationships must more easily come to forgive, at least potentially, which is the social virtue on which peace rests.