Cardinal Ennio Antonelli, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family; Cardinal
Angelo Scola, archbishop of Milan, Italy, and Pierpaolo Donati, professor at the department
of sociology of the University of Bologna, Italy, today presided at a press conference
held in the Holy See Press Office to present the seventh World Meeting of Families,
which will take place in Milan from 30 May to 3 June on the theme: "The Family: Work
and Celebration". Cardinal Antonelli focused his remarks on preparations for the
forthcoming event, which was announced by the Holy Father at the end of the last World
Meeting of Families, held in Mexico City in 2009. Over the intervening three years,
the Pontifical Council for the Family has met on various occasions with the archbishop
of Milan and his closest collaborators in order to combine their efforts for the Milan
meeting. The cardinal listed some of the preparatory initiatives organised by his
council. These included: the translation of the catechesis into Italian, French, English,
German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish, Hungarian, Romanian, Arabic and Russian; an international
academic seminar on "The Christian Family as the Subject of Evangelisation" (Rome
2009); the council's nineteenth plenary assembly on "The Rights of Infancy" (Rome
2010); an international academic seminar with pro-life associations (Rome 2010); an
international congress on "The Christian Family as the Subject of Evangelisation"
(Rome 2010), and the council's twentieth plenary assembly, held in Rome in 2011, which
coincided with the thirtieth anniversary of the Apostolic Exhortation "Familiaris
consortio" and of the creation of the Pontifical Council for the Family itself. Cardinal
Antonelli also presented the "Enchiridion", a manual bringing together the Apostolic
See's most recent teachings on the subject of the family and human life, dating from
the final years of the pontificate of John Paul II and from the pontificate of Benedict
XVI. "The aim of the publication", the cardinal explained, "is to provide a useful
consultative instrument for pastoral care workers, associations, pro-life and pro-family
movements, academics, teachers and politicians. It covers a wide range of subjects
including: the theology and anthropology of the family, ... inter-religious marriage,
regulation of fertility, demography, the ethic of life from conception to natural
death, the ethics of health, the rights of minors, ... the family as the subject of
evangelisation, ... and attention to canonically irregular situations". Another
volume, entitled "The Family, a Resource for Society", was also presented during the
press conference. "It contains", the president of the Pontifical Council for the Family
said, "new research which throws light on the different contributions, positive and
negative, which the various forms of family and cohabitation bring to society". For
his part Cardinal Scola noted that the theme of the Milan meeting, "by bringing together
the three fundamental aspects of man's daily life - family, work and rest - highlights
two major traits ... of human experience all over the world: the uniqueness of individuals
and the fact that they are always in relation with others. Thus this seventh World
Meeting of Families has interpreted the perennial importance of these questions, and
of this particular historical moment". The archbishop of Milan went on: "The family
founded on faithful marriage between a man and a woman, and open to life, over and
above all the cultural developments that have affected it, still imposes itself as
the best way to generate and raise children. In the family the child ... sees the
future as a promise. From infancy we all discover the meaning of work, first as school
work and them as a profession. Through work ... we develop complex social relationships.
... We discover a taste for building, ... but above all we gain a sense of reciprocal
trust, which is the vital cement of human coexistence. "Life imposes its rhythm
on us", he added. "It requires us to establish an order between family affections
and work. In doing this we are helped by rest, which marks the rhythm of life. ...
Celebration is the apex of rest, a gratuitous and shared use of time and space which
is a source of joy. Man becomes reconciled with himself, with others and with God.
It is no coincidence that all religious traditions have always utilised celebration". Finally
Cardinal Scola of Milan spoke of the interest the seventh World Meeting of Families
is arousing in the media. The family, he said, is the focus of attention because it
is an "indispensable resource, a 'social capital' which requires specific policies,
perhaps also as a result of the serious economic crisis we are in". He also provided
some statistics on the forthcoming meeting, noting that more than a million faithful
are expected to attend the papal Mass, and 300,000 the Feast of Testimonies. (VIS)