A priority task

The family is increasingly becoming the focal point of attention by the European churches: their proposals include pastoral programmes, aids, competitions and initiatives aimed not only at promoting marriage and encouraging young couples to bring children into the world, as an economic source of support, but also at encouraging greater protection and legislation for the families of immigrants. And to the “migrant family” is dedicated the next World Day of Migration on 14 January. GERMANY. 2007 “year of the family” in the archdiocese of Cologne. More courage for marriage and the family: that’s the appeal of the Archbishop of Cologne, Cardinal JOACHim Meisner, who announced on 4 January that 2007 would be the “year of marriage and the family” for the archdiocese. “Fathers, mothers and children have a need for greater support and guidance”, he declared. “Marriage and the family will be at the centre of numerous ecclesiastical events and projects”. The archdiocese has also set up a “fund for marriage and the family” with an initial endowment of 7 million euros. With the interest earned from investments, some 300,000 euros per year, innovative projects for the family and for the protection of life will be funded. “With our annual programme we intend to encourage the young to get married and young couples to have children”, explained the director of family pastoral care, ROBERT KLEINE . The initiatives being planned include, for example, particular celebrations for engaged couples on St. Valentine’s Day and a great pilgrimage for families at Bad Münstereifel in May. To mark the feast of the Ascension the archdiocese is planning a “Fathers & Children” Day as an alternative to Father’s Day. The archdiocese has also created a special website on the theme, www.Familie-vor-ort.de, which intends to offer ideas and propose projects for the various parish communities. German Caritas is also lending its support to the family with a three-year project called “Stark für Familien”, devised with the aim of developing and improving the assistance offered by Caritas for families, adapting it to the their new needs. The project includes a competition of ideas, presented on 3 January; it is aimed at bringing together viable projects for families: the best will be presented on the website of German Caritas (http://www.caritas.de). AUSTRIA. A strong appeal to the political, economic and social world for the family to be placed once again at the centre of general concern was made by Cardinal CHRISTOPH SCHÖNBORN , President of the Austrian Bishops’ Conference and Archbishop of Vienna during the New Year’s Eve celebration in the Stephansdom in the Austrian capital. “The family is the foundation for the well-being of society” said the cardinal. “The priority task for political action, for the economy and for civil society must be the promotion of the family. The fact that so many marriages fail in Vienna means a great deal of suffering and arouses great anxiety also in the Church”. Cardinal Schönborn, however, expressed hope “that the next government, just like the last one, would make great efforts for the good of the family”. Although admitting that “the Church in Europe is going through a phase of contraction”, the cardinal said he was certain about the future of the Church, which “has deeper sources that any other earthly institution”. Christians are called to live in a more conscious way, by drawing on these sources of faith, by bearing witness to their faith and proclaiming it”. In this regard, Schönborn recalled the need to safeguard Sunday: “Sunday shall remain as such so long as the Lord’s Day remains. If the Eucharist remains at the centre, we shall have no cause to worry about the future of the Church and of Sunday”. SPAIN. The Church in Spain has also appealed on behalf of the family, this time aimed in particular “at those responsible for the public administration”, asking them to “establish just norms and provide adequate resources in defence of the dignity and rights of immigrants and their families”: the appeal is made in a message issued by the SPANISH BISHOPS of the episcopal Commission for Migration, to mark the World Day of Migrations celebrated on 14 January on the theme “The migrant family”. In their message the bishops urge that “immigrants and their families be considered not as a burden or as a danger, but as a source of enrichment for our society; that they be warmly welcomed and served as brothers; and that everything be done to favour their peaceful integration into the community”. The migrant family, in a particular way, – say the bishops – suffers from numerous difficulties, including “the learning of a new language, adaptation to a new environment, and integration into the religious community”. So the bishops exhort the communities – parishes and Catholic schools in the first instance – to welcome Catholic immigrants and make them feel at home. The same conduct is also recommended for Orthodox, Protestant and Anglican Christians and the immigrants of other religions, or non-believers: “All must be the object of the Church’s concern”.