The family, ahead of the Synod

Statistics are starting to resemble those in the rest of Europe: families in crisis, large numbers of cohabiting couples, and few children. And little by little, also Bulgarian society is witnessing the growth of previously rare phenomena, such as homosexual unions. However, many people continue believing in marriage and pledge to live it with the coherence stemming from their faith. To have a more in-depth picture of the family in Bulgaria, of its positive aspects and daily difficulties, including those experienced in pastoral care of the family, in view of the upcoming Synod Iva Mihailova for SIR Europe interviewed Bogdan Patashev, responsible of Communication for the Bulgarian Bishops’ Conference, father of three children. How do families in Bulgaria live today? "Bulgarian families don’t differ much from European ones. Our traditions reflect Christian values, although 50 years of Communism and the ensuing post-Communist years have left a mark. Young people marry later, even the arrival of the first child is delayed, while de facto couples are increasing. However, a large part of the population continues to believe in marriage and celebrate it in Church, although many of them are merely attracted by the beauty of the ceremony… Bulgarian parents have one or two children at the most. Figures show that more and more children are born out of wedlock." What are the main difficulties experienced by the parents? "Education is a weak spot, especially in schools. Young people are increasingly ‘formed’ by the media and by social networks. Another difficulty for an average family is the lack of employment, coupled by high housing costs in large cities especially. The parents are overburdened by their work and their daily activity, so they spend increasingly less time with their children and with their partners." Are there significant differences between Sofia, the other large cities, and the rest of the Country? How does it affect the families? "For the most part, Bulgarian population lives in the capital and in other two-three large cities. Many young couples transfer to or grow up in these cities. These leads to the depopulation of other areas, while in Sofia, for example, there are no places left in kindergartens and nurseries. Also the phenomenon of migration plays an important role. In fact, in large cities parents often work abroad while their children are raised by their grandparents." Have Christian confessions come together to promote an evangelical vision of family in society? "In 2008 there was an attempt to introduce de facto unions within national legislation. All religious confessions in Bulgaria convened and jointly expressed their dissent. As a result, the legislative decree was halted. The Orthodox Church, which is the major confession in the Country, relentlessly defends Christian positions in favour of the family and on bioethical issues. Assisted fertilization is very widespread in Bulgaria. Two attempts are financed by the State, while there have been several marches and initiatives for the family. The Catholic Church has called a Year for the Family after the Pope’s decision to hold a special Synod on this theme. In addition to the prayer that is recited after each Mass, all initiatives and gatherings that have taken place in this period have been in the name of the family." What are the challenges of the pastoral care of families? "Society lacks a vision of the family in general and engaged couples find it hard to follow a clearly-defined family model. Catholics are a small minority and marriage preparation takes place at individual level with the help of priests. Another typical feature of Bulgarian reality are mixed marriages. The majority of Catholics marry to an Orthodox or Atheist spouse. However, figures show that they remain bound to Catholic faith, and generally children are educated to Catholicism." What does the Catholic Church expect from the next Synod? "Albeit at a slower pace, certain phenomena typical of Western Europe and of secularised societies reach Bulgaria all the same. That’s why the experience of Countries that have been coping with this situation for years will be very useful to us."