“Cardinale Van Thuân” International Observatory

For the Social Doctrine of the Church

Life and Family

Pope Francis’s 2016

Teachings

by Benedetta Cortese

“In Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families, during my Journey to Sri Lanka and to the

Philippines, and more recently with the Synod of Bishops, I reaffirmed the centrality of the family,

which is the first and most important school of mercy, in which we learn to see God’s loving face

and to mature and develop as human beings. Sadly, we recognize the numerous challenges

presently facing families, “threatened by growing efforts on the part of some to redefine the very

institution of marriage by relativism, by the culture of the ephemeral, by a lack of openness to

life”.[3] Today there is a widespread fear of the definitive commitment demanded by the family;

those who pay the price are the young, who are often vulnerable and uncertain, and the elderly,

who end up being neglected and abandoned. On the contrary, “out of the family’s experience of

fraternity is born solidarity in society”,[4] which instils in us a sense of responsibility for others.

This is possible only if, in our homes and our societies, we refuse to allow weariness and

resentment to take root, but instead make way for dialogue, which is the best antidote to the

widespread individualism of today’s culture.

… Sadly, we know that hunger continues to be one of the gravest banes of our world, leading to

the death of millions of children every year. It is painful to realize, however, that often these

migrants are not included in international systems of protection based on international

agreements.

How can we not see in all this the effects of that “culture of waste” which endangers the human

person, sacrificing men and women before the idols of profit and consumption?

It is a grievous fact that we grow so inured to such situations of poverty and need, to these

tragedies affecting so many lives, that they appear “normal”. Persons are no longer seen as a

paramount value to be cared for and respected, especially when poor or disabled, or “not yet

useful” – like the unborn, or “no longer needed” – like the elderly. We have grown indifferent to

all sorts of waste, starting with the waste of food, which is all the more deplorable when so many

individuals and families suffer hunger and malnutrition[5].

… The present wave of migration seems to be undermining the foundations of that “humanistic

spirit” which Europe has always loved and defended.[6] Yet there should be no loss of the values

and principles of humanity, respect for the dignity of every person, mutual subsidiarity and

solidarity, however much they may prove, in some moments of history, a burden difficult to bear. I

wish, then, to reaffirm my conviction that Europe, aided by its great cultural and religious heritage,

has the means to defend the centrality of the human person and to find the right balance between

its twofold moral responsibility to protect the rights of its citizens and to ensure assistance and

acceptance to migrants[7].”

(11 January 2016, Address to the Members of the Diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See)

“Together with the theological questions, we must not lose sight of the great challenges facing the

world today. An integral ecology is now a priority and as Christians and Jews we can and must

offer the whole of humanity the Bible’s message on the safeguard of Creation. Conflict, war,

violence and injustice open up deep wounds in humanity and call us to strengthen our

commitment to peace and justice. The violence of man toward man contradicts every religion

worthy of this name, and in particular the three great monotheistic religions. Life is sacred

because it is a gift from God. The Fifth Commandment of the Decalogue says: “You shall not kill”

(Ex 20:13). God is the God of life, he always seeks to promote and defend it; and we, created in his

image and likeness, are called to do the same. Every human being, as a creature of God, is our

brother or sister, independent of his or her origin or religious practice. Each person is to be viewed

with benevolence, as he or she is seen by God, who extends his merciful hand to all, independent

of faith and origin, and cares for those who need him the most: the poor, the sick, the

marginalized, the defenceless. Where life is in danger, we are called all the more to protect it.

Neither violence nor death will ever have the last word before God, who is the God of love and of

life.”

(17 January 2016, Visit to the Synagogue of Rome)

“The Church can, indeed, show God’s unfailing and merciful love toward families, particularly

toward those wounded by sin and the trials of life, and proclaim the irrevocable truth of marriage

according to God’s plan. This service is primarily entrusted to the Pope and to Bishops.

Throughout the Synod on the family, begun by the grace of God two years ago, we were able to

accomplish deep and sapiential discernment in a spirit and manner of true collegiality. It is out of

this that the Church has indicated to the world that, among other things, there can be no

confusion between the family desired by God and any other kind of union.

… The family, founded upon an indissoluble, unitive and procreative marriage, belongs to the

“dream” of God and that of the Church, for the salvation of humanity.3

In the words of Blessed Paul VI, the Church has always turned “a special gaze, full of concern and

love, upon the family and its problems. By way of marriage and the family, God has in his wisdom

united two of the greatest human realities: the mission of passing on the life and the mutual and

legitimate love between one man and one woman, through which they are both called to

fulfillment in the reciprocal gift of self that is not only physical but especially spiritual. Or better

put: God desired to make spouses participants in his love, in the personal love that God has for

each of them and through which he calls them to help each other and give of themselves to one

another so as to reach the fullness of their personal lives; and of the love that God bears for

humanity and all its children, through which God desires the multiplication of human beings that

they, too, may be rendered participants in his life and his eternal happiness.”4

The family and the Church, on different levels, help to accompany mankind toward the end of its

existence. They certainly do so in the teachings they pass on, but also with the very nature of each

as a community of life and love. Indeed, if the family can rightly be called “domestic church”, the

Church can rightly be named the family of God. Therefore, “‘the family spirit’ is a constitutional

charter for the Church: this is how Christianity must appear, and this is how it must be. It is written

in bold characters: ‘you who were far off’ — St Paul says — ‘[...] are no longer strangers and

sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God’ (Eph

2:17, 19). The Church is and must be the family of God.”5

… The Church, thus, with a renewed sense of responsibility continues to propound marriage in its

essential elements — offspring, the good of the spouses, unity, indissolubility and sacramentality6

— not as an ideal meant only for the few, notwithstanding modern models fixated on the

ephemeral and the passing, but rather as a reality that in Christ’s grace can be lived out by all

baptized faithful. Therefore, a fortiori, pastoral urgency involving all Church structures is leading us

toward a shared intention to provide adequate preparation for marriage in a kind of new

catechumanate — I emphasize this: a kind of new catechumanate — strongly hoped for by various

Synod Fathers.7”

(22 January 2016, Address to the officials of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota for the inauguration of

the Judicial Year)

“The family is the natural centre of human life and society. We are concerned about the crisis in

the family in many countries. Orthodox and Catholics share the same conception of the family,

and are called to witness that it is a path of holiness, testifying to the faithfulness of the spouses in

their mutual interaction, to their openness to the procreation and rearing of their children, to

solidarity between the generations and to respect for the weakest.

20. The family is based on marriage, an act of freely given and faithful love between a man and a

woman. It is love that seals their union and teaches them to accept one another as a gift. Marriage

is a school of love and faithfulness. We regret that other forms of cohabitation have been placed

on the same level as this union, while the concept, consecrated in the biblical tradition, of

paternity and maternity as the distinct vocation of man and woman in marriage is being banished

from the public conscience.

21. We call on all to respect the inalienable right to life. Millions are denied the very right to be

born into the world. The blood of the unborn cries out to God (cf. Gen 4:10).

The emergence of so-called euthanasia leads elderly people and the disabled begin to feel that

they are a burden on their families and on society in general.

We are also concerned about the development of biomedical reproduction technology, as the

manipulation of human life represents an attack on the foundations of human existence, created

in the image of God. We believe that it is our duty to recall the immutability of Christian moral

principles, based on respect for the dignity of the individual called into being according to the

Creator’s plan.

(12 February 2016, Apostolic Journey to Mexico. Meeting with His holiness Kirill, Patriarch of

Moscow and all Russia)

“Today we see how on different fronts the family is weakened and questioned. It is regarded as a

model which has done its time, but which has no place in our societies; these, claiming to be

modern, increasingly favour a model based on isolation. Societies become increasingly inoculated

— they refer to themselves as societies which are free, democratic, sovereign — but they are

inoculated by ideological colonizations which destroy; and we end up being ideological colonies

that then have a destructive effect on families, the family cell, which is the basis of every healthy

society.

It is true that living in family is not always easy, and can often be painful and stressful but, as I

have often said referring to the Church, I prefer a wounded family that makes daily efforts to put

love into play, to a family and society that is sick from isolationism or a habitual fear of love. I

prefer a family that makes repeated efforts to begin again, to a family and society that is

narcissistic and obsessed with luxury and comfort.

How many children do you have? “No, we don’t have children as we like to go on holidays, be

tourists, and I want to buy a villa”. Luxury and comfort without children, and then, when you want

a child, it’s too late. This is so harmful, is it not? I prefer a family with tired faces from generous

giving, to a family with faces full of makeup that know nothing of tenderness and compassion. I

prefer a man and a woman, don Aniceto and his wife, with faces that are wrinkled due to the daily

struggles over the 50 years of strong married love; and here we have them, and their son has

learned the lesson from them and is now 25 years married. These are families. When I asked don

Aniceto and his wife which of them showed more patience during these last 50 years, they replied

“Both of us, Father”. Because in order to get to the point they have reached after 50 years, you

need patience, love and mutual forgiveness. “Father, a perfect family never gets into arguments”.

This is not true, it is quite helpful when couples argue now and again and when the odd plate is

thrown: it’s okay, do not be afraid. My only advice is that they never let the sun set without

making peace, because if they are at odds with each other at the end of the day, they will wake up

to a cold war, a cold war is very dangerous in the family because it undermines, from within, the

hard earned wrinkles of conjugal fidelity. Thank you for the testimony of loving each other for over

50 years. Thank you.

And speaking of wrinkles, to change the subject a little, I remember the testimony of a great

actress — an actress of Latin American films — almost in her sixties, and showing some wrinkles

on her face. She was advised to have some work done on her face so as to carry on working

successfully. Her response was quite clear: “These wrinkles cost me a lot of work, much effort,

much pain and a full life, so I would never even dream of touching them; they are the signs of my

life history. And I am still a great actress”. The same thing happens in marriage. Married life has to

be renewed every day. And, as I said before, I prefer families with wrinkles, with wounds, and

scars, but who carry on moving forward; for these wounds, scars and wrinkles are the fruit of a

faithful love which has had its share of difficulties. Love is not easy, it is not easy, but the most

beautiful thing is when a man and a woman can offer each other true love and offer it for life.”

(15 February 2016, Apostolic journey to Mexico. Meeting with Families)

“In the complex world of business, “working together” means investing in projects that are able to

involve subjects that are often forgotten or overlooked. Among them are, first of all, families, the

focal point of humanity — in which the experience of work, the sacrifice that feeds it and the fruits

that derive from it — find meaning and value. Along with families, we cannot forget the weakest

and most marginalized groups, such as the elderly, who could still offer resources and energy for

an active collaboration, yet are too often discarded as if useless and unproductive. And what can

be said of all the potential workers, especially young people, who, subjected to precariousness or

to long periods of unemployment, are not challenged by work proposals that would give them,

besides an honest salary, the dignity that at times they feel deprived of?

… May attention to the dignity of the other, be an absolute and indispensable value, the supreme

law overall. May your commitment be distinguished by this horizon of altruism: it will lead you to

categorically refuse to let the dignity of the person be infringed upon in the name of production

demands which mask individualistic shortsightedness, wretched selfishness and the thirst for

profit. Instead, may the undertaking that you represent always be open to that “greater meaning

in life” which will enable it “truly to serve the common good by striving to increase the goods of

this world and to make them more accessible to all” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, n.

203). May the common good be the very compass that guides the work of production, in order to

foster an economy of all and for all, which does not “keep needy eyes waiting” (Sir 4:1). This is

truly possible, provided that the simple proclamation of economic freedom does not prevail over

the practical freedom of man and over his rights, that the market is not an absolute value, but

honours the exigencies of justice and, in the final analysis, the dignity of the person. For there is no

freedom without justice and there is no justice without respect for the dignity of each person.”

(27 February 2016, Address to the General Confederation of Italian Industry (confindustria))

“In our time, certain cultural orientations no longer recognize the imprint of divine wisdom in

created things, not even in the person. Human nature is thus reduced to mere matter, pliable to

any design. Our humanity, however, is unique and very precious in the eyes of God! For this

reason, the first nature to safeguard, so that it may bear fruit, is our very humanity. We must give

it the clean air of freedom and the life-giving water of truth. We must protect it from the poison of

selfishness and falsehood. Then a great variety of virtues will be able to blossom in the soil of our

humanity.

… Today there are many institutions committed to the service of life, whether in research or

assistance; they promote not only good actions, but also a passion for the good. But there are also

many structures that are more concerned with economic interests than with the common good.

To talk about virtue means to affirm that choosing the good involves and engages the whole

person; it is not a question of “cosmetics”, an exterior adornment, which could not bear fruit. It is

the uprooting of dishonest desires and the sincere quest for the good.

Also in the sphere of the ethics of life, the necessary norms, which support respect of the person,

are not enough on their own to fully ensure man’s good. The virtue of one who works for the

promotion of life is the ultimate guarantee that the good will really be respected. Today scientific

knowledge and technical instruments are not lacking, its able to offer support to human life in

weakest aspects. But humanity is so often lacking. Good actions are not the correct application of

ethical wisdom, what is needed is a real interest in the frail person. The doctors and all health

workers must always combine science, technology and humanity.

Therefore, I encourage universities to consider all this in their programmes of formation, so that

the students can improve those dispositions of the heart and mind, which are indispensable to

receive and take care of human life, according to the dignity that belongs to it in any circumstance.

I also invite the directors of health structures and of research to ask their employees to consider

human treatment an integral part of their qualified service. In every case, may those who dedicate

themselves to the defense and promotion of life be able to show first of all its beauty. In fact, as “it

is not by proselytizing that the Church grows, but ‘by attraction’” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii

Gaudium, n. 15), so human life is safeguarded and promoted effectively only when it is known and

its beauty is shown. By experiencing genuine compassion and practising the other virtues, you will

be privileged witnesses of the mercy of the Father of life.

While contemporary culture still keeps the premises that affirm man, regardless of his condition of

life, as a value to be protected, it often falls victim to moral uncertainty, which does not enable it

defend life effectively. Not infrequently then, it can happen that “splendid vices” parade

themselves under the guise of virtue. Hence, it is necessary not only that virtue inform man’s

thought and action in a real way, but that the virtues be cultivated continuously in discernment

and that they be rooted in God, the source of all virtue. I would like to repeat here something I

have said many times: we must beware of the new ideological colonization that invades human

and Christian thought, under the pretense of virtue, modernity and new attitudes. It is actually

colonization, that is, it takes away freedom. And it is an ideology, afraid of reality as God has

created it.”

(3 March 2016, Address to participants in the Plenary assembly of the Pontifical Academy for Life)

“The witness of charity becomes authentic and credible when it requires all the moments and

relationships of life, but its cradle and its home is the family, the domestic Church. The family is

constitutionally ‘Caritas’ because God himself made it so: the heart of the family and of its mission

is love. The mercy that — as I recalled in the Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia —

is able to accompany, discern and integrate situations of frailty. The most complete responses to

many needs can be offered precisely by those families who, overcoming the temptation of “short”

and episodic solidarity, although sometimes necessary, choose to cooperate among themselves

and with all the other supportive services of the territory, offering their own daily resources. How

many beautiful examples of this we have in our communities!”

(21 April 2016, Address to participants in the National Conference of the Italian diocesan Caritas)

“A doctor’s identity and commitment are not based solely on his knowledge and technical

expertise, but also and above all on his merciful attitude of compassion — suffering-with —

toward those who are suffering in body and in spirit. Compassion is in a certain sense the very soul

of medicine. Compassion is not pity, it is suffering-with.

In our technological and individualist society, compassion is not always appreciated; at times it is

actually scorned because it means subjecting its recipient to a feeling of humiliation. There are

also those who hide behind supposed compassion in order to justify and approve the death of a

sick person. But that is not how it is. True compassion marginalizes no one, it does not humiliate

people, it does not exclude them, much less consider their death as a good thing. True compassion

is undertaking to bear the burden. You are well aware that this would mean the triumph of

selfishness, of that “throw-away culture” which rejects and scorns people who do not fulfil certain

criteria of health, beauty and usefulness. I enjoy blessing the hands of doctors as a sign of

appreciation of this compassion which becomes a healing touch.

… Compassion, this suffering-with, is the appropriate response to the immense value of the sick

person, a response made out of respect, understanding and tenderness, because the sacred value

of the life of the sick does not disappear nor is it ever darkened, but rather it shines brighter

precisely in their suffering and vulnerability. We well understand St Camillus de Lellis’

recommendation for caring for the sick. He said: “Put more heart in those hands”. Fragility, pain

and illness are a difficult trial for everyone, even for the medical staff, they are an appeal for

patience, for suffering-with; therefore we cannot give in to the functionalist temptation to apply

quick and drastic solutions, stirred by false compassion or by simple criteria of efficiency and

economic saving. The dignity of human life is at stake; the dignity of the medical vocation is at

stake.”

(9 June 2016, Address to Directors of the Orders of Physicians of Spain and Latin America)

“These brothers and sisters — as this Conference also shows — are not only capable of living a

genuine experience of encounter with Christ, but are also capable of witnessing it to others. Much

progress has been made in the pastoral care of the disabled; it is important to go forward, for

example, better recognizing their apostolic and missionary capacity, and even before that, the

value of their “presence” as people, as active members of the ecclesial Body. Hidden in weakness

and frailty are treasures capable of renewing our Christian communities.

In the Church, thanks be to God, one notes widespread attention to disability in its physical,

mental and sensory forms, and an attitude of general acceptance. However, our communities still

find it hard to exercise a true inclusion, a full participation that may at last become ordinary,

normal. It calls for not only specific techniques and programmes, but it requires first of all that

each face be recognized and accepted, with the tenacious and patient certainty that every person

is unique and unrepeatable, and that every excluded face is an impoverishment of the community.

Also decisive in this field is the involvement of families, who ask not only to be listened to, but

inspired and encouraged. May our Christian communities be “houses” in which every form of

suffering finds com-passion, in which every family with its burden of pain and toil may feel

understood and respected in its dignity. As I observed in the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia,

the “dedication and concern shown to migrants and to persons with special needs alike is a sign of

the Spirit. Both situations are paradigmatic: they serve as a test of our commitment to show mercy

in welcoming others and to help the vulnerable to be fully a part of our communities” (n. 47).”

(11 June 2016, Address to participants in the Convention for Persons with disabilities

promoted by the Italian Episcopal Conference)

“Each of us has had a family experience. In some cases Grace is rendered more easily than in

others, but everyone has lived this experience. In that context, God has come to meet us. His

Word has come to us not in a series of abstract theories, but as a travelling companion that has

supported us amid suffering, has enlivened us in celebration and has always indicated to us the

the aim of the journey (AL, n. 22). This reminds us that our families, the families in our parishes

with their faces, their stories, with all their complications are not a problem, they are an

opportunity that God places before us. An opportunity that challenges us to generate a missionary

creativity capable of embracing every practical situation, in our case, of Rome’s families. Not only

those that come or that are in the parishes — this would be easy, more or less —, but being able

to go to the families of our districts, to those who do not come. This encounter challenges us not

to consider anything or anyone lost, but to seek, to renew the hope of knowing that God

continues to act within our families. It challenges us not to abandon anyone for not being up to

what is asked of him or her. This compels us to go beyond the declaration of principles so as to

enter into the beating heart of Rome’s neighbourhoods and, as artisans, setting ourselves to

mould God’s dream in this reality, something that can be done only by people of faith, those who

do not close access to the action of the Spirit, and who get their hands dirty. Reflecting on the life

our families, as they are and as they are found, asks that we take off our shoes in order to discover

God’s presence. This is the first Bible image. Go: there is God, there. God who enlivens, God who

lives, God who was crucified..., but he is God.

… Rightly, to look at our families with the sensitivity with which God looks at them helps us to

direct our consciences in the same way as his. The emphasis placed on mercy places reality before

us in a realistic way, not, however, with just any realism, but with the realism of God. The analyses

we make are important, they are necessary and help us to have a healthy realism. But nothing can

compare to Gospel realism, which does not stop at describing the various situations, the problems

— much less the sins — but which always goes a step further and is able to see an opportunity, a

possibility behind every face, every story, every situation. Gospel realism is total concern for the

other, for others, and does not create an obstacle out of the ideal and the “ought to be”, in order

to encounter others in whatever situation they may be. It is not a matter of proposing the Gospel

ideal, no, it is not about this. On the contrary, it invites us to live it within history, with all that it

entails. This does not mean not being clear about doctrine, but avoids falling into judgmental

attitudes that do not consider the complexity of life. Gospel realism is practical because it knows

that “grain and weeds” grow together, and the best grain — in this life — will always be mixed

with a few weeds. “I understand those who prefer a more rigorous pastoral care which leaves no

room for confusion”, I understand them. “But I sincerely believe that Jesus wants a Church that is

attentive to the goodness which the Holy Spirit sows in the midst of human weakness: a Mother

who, while clearly expressing her objective teaching, “always does what good she can, even if she

runs the risk of sullying her shoes with the mud of the road”. A Church able “to treat the weak

with compassion, avoiding aggravation or unduly harsh or hasty judgements. The Gospel too tells

us not to judge or condemn (cf. Mt 7:1; Lk 6:37)” (AL, n. 308).

… The old men shall have prophetic dreams (cf. Joel 2:28). This was a prophecy that Joel made for

the time of the Spirit. The old men shall have dreams and the young men shall see visions. With

this third image I should like to underscore the importance that the Synod Fathers gave to the

value of witness as the place in which one can find the dream of God and the life of men. In this

prophecy we contemplate a binding reality: in the dreams of our elders often lies the possibility

that our young people may have new visions, may once again have a future — I am thinking of the

young people of Rome, of the outskirts of Rome —, that they may have a tomorrow, they may

have hope. But if 40 percent of young people aged 25 and under do not have work, what hope can

they have? Here in Rome. How can they find the way? They are two realities — the old and the

young — that go together and that need one another and are bound together. It is beautiful to

find spouses, couples, who in old age continue to seek each other, who look at each other, who

look at each other, who continue to love the one of their choice. It is really beautiful to find

“grandparents” who show on their faces, wrinkled by time, the joy that is born from having made

a choice of love and for love. Many couples celebrating 50, 60 years of marriage come to Santa

Marta, and also to the Wednesday Audiences, and I always embrace them and thank them for

their witness, and I ask: “Which of you has had the most patience?”. They always say: “Both!”. At

times, jokingly, one says: “I have!”, but then adds “No, no, it’s a joke”. Once there was such a

beautiful response. I think that everyone thought so. There was a couple who had been married

for 60 years who managed to express it: “We are still in love!”. How beautiful! Grandparents who

bear witness. I always say: show that to the young people, who tire quickly, who after two or three

years say: “I’m going back to Mamma”. Grandparents!

As a society, we have deprived our elderly of their voice — this is a current social sin! —, we have

deprived them of their space; we have deprived them of the opportunity to recount to us their

life, their stories, their experience. We have put them aside and thus we have lost the wealth of

their wisdom. Discarding them, we discard the opportunity to make contact with the secret that

has enabled them to go forward. We have deprived ourselves of the witness of spouses who have

not only persevered in time, but who have preserved in their hearts the gratitude for all that they

have experienced (cf. AL, n. 38).

This absence of examples, of witnesses, this lack of grandparents, of fathers able to tell their

dreams, does not allow the younger generations to “see visions”. And they are at a standstill. It

does not allow them to make plans, since the future creates insecurity, doubt, fear. Only the

witness of our parents, seeing that it has been possible to fight for something that was

worthwhile, will help them to lift their gaze. How can we expect young people to take up the

challenge of family, of marriage as a gift, if they continually hear us say that it is a burden? If we

want “visions”, let our grandparents share and tell us their dreams, so that we can have the

prophecies for the future.”

(16 June 2016, Address at the opening of the Pastoral Congress of the Diocese of Rome)

“Therefore, you also must look up and look “beyond”, look at the many people who are “distant”

in our world, to the many families who are in difficulty and in need of mercy, to the many fields of

apostolate that are still unexplored, to the many lay people with good and generous hearts who

would willingly put — at the service of the Gospel — their energy, time and skills if they were

involved, esteemed and accompanied with affection and dedication by pastors and Church

institutions. We need lay people who are formed well, animated by a clear and sincere faith,

whose lives have been touched by a personal and merciful encounter with the love of Jesus Christ.

We need lay people who take risks, who soil their hands, who are not afraid of making mistakes,

who move forward. We need lay people with a vision of the future, who are not enclosed in the

petty things of life. And as I said to the young people: we need lay people with a taste of the

experience of life, who dare to dream. Today is a time in which young people need the dreams of

the elderly.”

(17 June 2016, Address to participants in the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the

Laity)

“The secularization of large sectors of society, its alienation from the spiritual and divine, leads

inevitably to a desacralized and materialistic vision of man and the human family. In this respect

we are concerned about the crisis of the family in many countries. The Armenian Apostolic Church

and the Catholic Church share the same vision of the family, based on marriage, an act of freely

given and faithful love between man and woman. “

(26 June 2016, Apostolic Journey to Armenia . Common declaration of His Holiness Francis and His

Holiness Karekin II at Holy Etchmiadzin, Republic of Armenia)

“The Magisterium of the Church has always affirmed the importance of scientific research for

human life and health. The Church not only accompanies you along this demanding path, but also

promotes your cause and wishes to support you. The Church understands that efforts directed to

the authentic good of the person are actions always inspired by God. Nature, in all its complexity,

and the human mind, are created by God; their richness must be studied by skilled men and

women, in the knowledge that the advancement of the philosophical and empirical sciences, as

well as professional care in favour of the weakest and most infirm, is a service that is part of God’s

plan. Openness to the grace of God, an openness which comes through faith, does not weaken

human reason, but rather leads it to move forwards, to knowledge of a truth which is wider and of

greater benefit to humanity.

At the same time, we know that the scientist, in his or her research, is never neutral, in as much as

each one has their own history, their way of being and of thinking. Every scientist requires, in a

sense, a purification; through this process, the toxins which poison the mind’s pursuit of truth and

certainty are removed, and this enables a more incisive understanding of the meaning of things.

We cannot deny that our knowledge, even our most precise and scientific knowledge, needs to

progress by asking questions and finding answers concerning the origin, meaning and finality of

reality; and this includes man. The sciences alone, however, whether natural or physical, are not

sufficient to understand the mystery contained within each person. When man is viewed in his

totality – allow me to emphasize this point – we are able to have a profound understanding of the

poorest, those most in need, and the marginalized. In this way, they will benefit from your care

and the support and assistance offered by the public and private health sectors. We must make

great efforts to ensure that they are not “discarded” by a culture which promotes a “throwaway”

mentality.

By means of your invaluable work, you contribute to the healing of physical illness and are able to

perceive that there are laws engraved within human nature that no one can tamper with, but

rather must be “discovered, respected and cooperated with” so that life may correspond ever

more to the designs of the Creator (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 36). For this reason, it is important that

men and women of science, as they examine themselves in the light of that great mystery of

human existence, do not give in to the temptation to suppress the truth (cf. Rom 1:18).”

(31 August 2016, Address to participants in the World Congress of Cardiology "ESC Congress

2016")

“On this path of dialogue, we are witnesses of the goodness of God, who has given us life; life is

sacred and must be respected, not scorned. A believer is a defender of creation and of life; he

cannot remain silent or cross his arms in the face of so many rights that are quashed with

impunity. Men and women of faith are called to defend: life in all its stages, physical integrity and

fundamental freedoms, such as the freedom of conscience, of thought, of expression and of

religion. It is our duty, because we believe that God is the architect of creation and we are

instruments in his hands so that all men and women may be respected in their dignity and rights,

and able to fulfil themselves as individuals.”

(8 September 2016, Address to participants in the Symposium sponsored by the Organization of

American States and by the Institute for interreligious Dialogue of Buenos Aires)

“…but what is faith in a marriage? Marriage is the most beautiful thing that God has created. The

Bible tells us that God created man and woman, created them in his own image (cfr Gen 1:27).

That is to say, the man and woman who become one flesh, are the image of God. I understood,

Irina, as you explained the difficulties that arise so often in marriage: the misunderstandings, the

temptations. “Well, let's solve this through divorce, so I can find another man, and he can find

another woman, and we can start again”. Irina, do you know who pays the divorce fees? Two

people pay. Who pays? [Irina replies: both pay]. Both? More! God pays, because when “one flesh”

is divided, the image of God is soiled. And the children pay. You do not know, dear brothers and

sisters, you do not know how much children suffer, the little ones, when they witness the

arguments and the separation of parents! Everything should be done to save a marriage. But is it

normal to have arguments in marriage? Yes, it is normal. It happens. Sometimes “plates fly”. But if

love is real, then peace is made quickly. I offer this advice to spouses: argue as much as you want,

but don’t let the day end without making peace. Do you know why? Because “the cold war” of the

day after is extremely dangerous. How many marriages are saved when they have the courage at

the end of the day to not make speeches but rather offer a caress, and peace is made! It is true,

there are more complex situations, when the devil gets involved and entices the man with another

woman who seems more beautiful than his wife, or when the devil entices the woman with

another man who seems better than her husband. Ask for help straightaway. When this

temptation comes, ask for help immediately.

And this is what you [Irena] were saying, about helping couples. And how do we help couples? We

help them by offering welcome, closeness, accompaniment, discernment, and integration into the

body of the Church. To welcome, to accompany, to discern, to integrate. In the Catholic

community we should offer help to save marriages. There are three words: they are words of gold

in married life. I would ask a couple: “do you love each other?” “Yes”, they might say. “And when

one of you does something for the other, do you know how to say thank you? And if one of you

does something truly devilish, do you know how to ask for forgiveness? And if you want to plan

something, [for example] having a day in the countryside, or something else, do you know how to

ask the other’s opinion?” Three words: “What do you think, can I?”; “Thank you”; “Sorry”. If

couples use these words, “sorry, I made a mistake”, “can I do this?”, or “thank you for this lovely

meal you’ve made” – “can I?”, “thank you”, “sorry” – if couples use these words, a marriage will

progress nicely. It is a help.

You, Irina, mentioned a great enemy to marriage today: the theory of gender. Today there is a

world war to destroy marriage. Today there are ideological colonisations which destroy, not with

weapons, but with ideas. Therefore, there is a need to defend ourselves from ideological

colonisations. If there are problems, make peace as soon as possible, before the day ends, and

don’t forget the three words: “can I”, “thank you”, “forgive me”.”

(1 October 2016, apostolic journey to Georgia and Azerbaijan. Meeting with priests, religious,

seminarians and pastoral workers)

“Opening ourselves to others does not lead to impoverishment but rather enrichment, because it

enables us to be more human: to recognize ourselves as participants in a greater collectivity and to

understand our life as a gift for others; to see as the goal, not our own interests, but rather the

good of humanity; to act with neither abstract idealism nor with interventionism, not by harmful

interference or forceful actions, but rather out of respect for the dynamics of history, cultures and

religious traditions.

Religions have an enormous task: to accompany men and women looking for the meaning of life,

helping them to understand that the limited capacities of the human being and the goods of this

world must never become absolutes. Again, Nizami wrote: “Do not base yourself solidly on your

own strength, such that in heaven you will find no resting place! The fruits of this world are not

eternal; do not adore that which perishes!” (Leylā and Majnūn, Death of Majnūn on the tomb of

Leylā). Religions are called to help us understand that the centre of each person is outside of

himself, that we are oriented towards the Most High and towards the other who is our neighbour.

In this way, the vocation of human life is to set out towards the highest and truest love: this alone

is the culmination of every authentically religious aspiration. For, as the poet says, “love is that

which never mutates, love is that which has no end” (ibid, The Despair of Majnūn).”

(2 October 2016, Apostolic journey to Georgia and Azerbaijan. Interreligious Meeting with the

Sheikh and with the Representatives of the different Religious Communities of the Country)