The IX World Meeting of Families, with the theme “The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World” started on Tuesday 21st, in the capital of Ireland, Dublin, with the participation of families from 116 countries from five continents. The Shalom Catholic Community is present in the event through the person of Fr. Silvio Scopel, who is responsible for the mission of Fortaleza and for a group of members of the Family Project and of the Community.
According to Fr. Silvio, the three days of congress before the arrival of Pope Francis is filled with seminars of a high level covering various themes. “On the first day, the talks were centred around the theme of the event. It was highlighted the importance for us to understand the church as the family of families and the necessity for a mutuality between the families and the Church”.
“For the Church to be constituted from the families, it is necessary that the church be solid, strong, that the families express and community their faith to their children, and at the same time the families need the sacraments, the gospel, and the faith of the Church to strengthen it and thus turn into a strong family.
In the afternoon of the Meeting of Families was reserved for the testimony of couples, and of people who live the reality of matrimony. Fr. Silvio highlighted that all mentioned that for a matrimony to be beautiful and strong it needs the condition of unconditional love. “The love which we can only find through the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ”, added the priest.
The Shalom group had contact with various ecclesiastic authorities, a personal encounter with Monsignor Diarmuid Martin, Archbishop of Dublin, and a talk with Cardinal Christoph Schönborn of Vienna, who on the night of the 9th World Meeting of Families launched the Youcat Kids, a catechism of the Church, aimed especially at children and adolescents, they also took part in an interview with the Indiana TV.
The highlight of the meeting was the Festival of Families last Sunday, 25th and the Final Mass today in the Phoenix Park, with the presence of Pope Francis.
“As you know, the World Meeting is a celebration of the beauty of God’s plan for the family; it is also an opportunity for the partaking families from across the world to come together and be encouraged to live their special vocation. Today, families are faced with many challenges in their efforts to embody a loyal love, to raise children with wholesome values and to be in the community yeast of goodness and mutual caring”, affirms the Pope.
Translation: Gabriela Gois