Catholic World News - Vatican Update - 10/13/2000

Vatican Congress on Families Concludes

VATICAN, October 13, 2000 (CWNews.com) -- An international conference on family life, sponsored by the Pontifical Council for the Family, has concluded its work with strong statements on motherhood, abortion, education, divorce, homosexuality, pornography, and the exploitation of children.

The international meeting, held in Rome on October 11-13, brought together theologians, scientists, political leaders, academics, pastors, and couples engaged in the care of families and the treatment of children.

Among the more remarkable talks of the conference was the one delivered by Archbishop Renato Martino, the permanent observer for the Holy See at the United Nations. Archbishop Martino told how the Vatican delegation had fought to uphold the rights of parents, and maintain respect for human life and human dignity, at UN conferences such as the Cairo conference on population in 1994 and the Beijing conference on women in 1995.

That struggle is continuing, the archbishop warned the conference participants. "I am certain," he said, "that new efforts are now being developed to undermine the role, the rights, and the responsibilities of parents regarding their children." He added that the Vatican, along with other nations and international organizations, would continue aggressively to promote the "culture of life."
Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican Secretary of State, echoed the same message in his remarks. "The difficulties we face must not dampen our zeal," he said. "We must help families to rediscover the importance of moral principles, and transmit them to their children." He urged the delegates to "courageously reject whatever is contrary to the Gospel of Christ."