Pope: Message to Festival of the Family participants
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has sent a Message to the organizers and participants in the Festival of the Family taking place on the shore of Lake Garda in north-central Italy on Friday. “The future of humanity depends upon the family,” writes the Holy Father in his Message, “and it is therefore necessary to allow [the family] to play its role,” in society.
The theme of the gathering is: the ecosystem of life and work. “It is not enough to reiterate the importance of the family and to affirm its rights,” continues Pope Francis’ Message, “it is necessary to consider how the tasks of the family and of society can be structured in real terms, especially with regard to the relationship between professional life and family life.”
The Message goes on to treat of public policy in relation to families, the social and legal status of the family in general, the assistance that should be offered to those who are materially or morally disadvantaged, and the attention that should be given to women in the workplace. “We must ensure that women are not, for economic reasons, compelled to undertake too heavy a burden or accept excessive working hours, which are then added to all their responsibilities in housekeeping and raising children,” explains the Holy Father. “Above all,” he writes, “it is necessary to recognise that women’s work, at all levels of family life, also constitutes an unparalleled contribution to the family and the future of society.”