Pope Francis greets Cardinals at beginning of Consistory
(Vatican Radio) The Extraordinary Consistory of all the Cardinals began on Thursday
morning, ahead of the creation of 19 new Cardinals on Saturday. In his remarks to
the Cardinals, Pope Francis spoke about the topic of their reflections: The Family.
"Our
reflections must keep before us the beauty of the family and marriage, the greatness
of this human reality which is so simple and yet so rich, consisting of joys and hopes,
of struggles and sufferings, as is the whole of life," Pope Francis said. "We will
seek to deepen the theology of the family and discern the pastoral practices which
our present situation requires."
The full text of the Pope's remarks
are below
Dear brothers, I extend a warm greeting to you
all and, with you, I thank the Lord who has given us these days of meeting and working
together. We welcome especially our brothers who will be created Cardinals on Saturday
and we accompany them with our prayers and fraternal affection. During these days,
we will reflect in particular on the family, which is the fundamental cell of society.
From the beginning the Creator blessed man and woman so that they might be fruitful
and multiply, and so the family then is an image of the Triune God in the world. Our
reflections must keep before us the beauty of the family and marriage, the greatness
of this human reality which is so simple and yet so rich, consisting of joys and hopes,
of struggles and sufferings, as is the whole of life. We will seek to deepen the
theology of the family and discern the pastoral practices which our present situation
requires. May we do so thoughtfully and without falling into “casuistry”, because
this would inevitably diminish the quality of our work. Today, the family is looked
down upon and mistreated. We are called to acknowledge how beautiful, true and good
it is to start a family, to be a family today; and how indispensable the family is
for the life of the world and for the future of humanity. We are called to make known
God’s magnificent plan for the family and to help spouses joyfully experience this
plan in their lives, as we accompany them amidst so many difficulties. We thank
Cardinal Walter Kasper for his valuable contribution which he will offer us with his
introduction. Thank you all, and have a good day!