Family: A Conference Celebrating 30 Years of Familiaris Consortio

“The Fecundity of Familiaris Consortio: from John Paul II to Benedict XVI” was the title of the conference held in honor of the 30 ^th Anniversary of the document Familiaris Consortio. The conference was a joint effort of the Forum for Family Associations, the Italian Bishops Conference’s Office of Pastoral Ministry for Families, and the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family.

The seminars took place from November 25- 27, 2011. They were three intense days to reflect on the relevance of the anthropological and spiritual message of John Paul II’s document, and on the favorable continuity with the Magisterium of the current Pontiff. It is a fundamental text that consecrated the value and central role that the family has in the real life of people and modern society, and was the spring of inspiration and orientation for the Forum of Family Associations.

As was desired, the families played the leading role in the conference. Not only because of their massive presence at the Domus Pacis (Rome) with children of all ages, able to participate in the games and parallel youth conference organized for them. But in addition to the striking intellectual depth of the conference, families told stories of the fruitfulness of their service for life. Some of the most touching testimonies were told by couples dedicated to communities who take in minors and people in difficult situations.