An information session was held at the St. Pius X Hall, a stone's throw from St. Peter's, during which the artists who will be performing were introduced and the names of the families who will be giving testimonies during the inaugural evening were announced.
Speakers included Monsignor Walter Insero, director of the Social Communications Office of the Diocese of Rome; Monsignor Marco Frisina, author of the World Meeting hymn, "We Believe in Love," and director of the Choir of the Diocese of Rome; Paolo Pinamonti, artistic director of the Macerata Opera Festival; Piero Barone, Gianluca Ginoble and Ignazio Boschetto, artists of Il Volo.
The beauty of the family
Presenting "The Beauty of the Family" tomorrow in the Paul VI Hall will be Amadeus Amadeus, accompanied by his wife. He will begin with the testimony of a priest from Kiev who remained close to the nuclei of his community during the war. It is an unusual choice to begin an event with a moment of celebration, which normally takes place at the end. Why? "We wanted to anticipate the Festival to launch the themes that will be addressed during the Pastoral Theological Congress on Thursday, Friday and Saturday," explained the director of the Office of Social Communication of the Diocese of Rome.
In the Angelus last SundayRecalling the imminent opening of the event, Pope Francis thanked "the bishops, pastors and family pastoral workers who have called families to moments of reflection, celebration and feast. Especially spouses and families, who will bear witness to family love as a vocation and a path to holiness. The Feast of Families will be attended tomorrow by the Holy Father.
The main events
On the 23rd a panel on "Husbands and priests together to build the Church" and a conference on "Accompanying the first years of marriage" are on the agenda. Friday, June 24, will focus on "The Marriage Catechumenate" and "Vocation and Mission in the existential peripheries". The following day, Saturday, June 25, there will be a conference dedicated to the Beltrame Quattrocchi family. The awarding of the subsidy to the Holy Couples will then precede the Holy Mass presided by Pope Francis in St. Peter's Square. The meeting ends on Sunday, June 26 with the "Mandate to Families".
The wide variety of venues in Rome where events will be held is one of the peculiarities of this meeting. An innovative formula, as we had the opportunity to tell you during the introductory conferenceThe meeting was held on May 31. Rome is, in fact, the main venue, but during the same days each diocese will be able to promote a local meeting for its own families and communities. Therefore, all the families of the world can participate in this appointment, scheduled on the sixth anniversary of Amoris Laetitia and four years after Gaudete et Exsultate. The Holy Father himself emphasized this in the presentation video message. "This time it will be an opportunity of Providence to hold a worldwide event capable of involving all families who want to feel part of the ecclesial community."
"Excuse me, thank you and sorry."
Basically, the importance of the catechesis on the family is condensed in three words dear to the Pope's heart: "Permission, thanks, pardon". "By making these three words his own," we read in the catechesis, "each member of the family puts himself in a position to recognize his own limitations. Recognizing one's own weakness leads each one not to prevail over the other, to respect him or her and not to claim to possess him or her. Allowing, thanking and excusing are three very simple words that guide us to take very concrete steps on the path of holiness and growth in love. (...) Accepting that one is not enough for oneself and making room for the other is the way to live not only love in the family, but also the experience of faith.
These three words, guide and support for a multitude of homes in all latitudes, are the most authentic expression of the inherent beauty of each family.
