The family, explained Benedict XVI, is also the place "in which the parents, by tenderly loving their children, teach them to have healthy interpersonal relations that embody moral and human values in a society that is so deeply affected by hedonism or religious indifference". Hence the need for the church communities to work hard "to protect the stability of the family and boost its spiritual and material progress", as well as the wish that the Dominican Authorities "may increasingly contribute to this essential work for the family". In addition, the Pope spoke of the problems that the family is experiencing in the Dominican Republic, such as "the tragedy of divorce and pressures to legalise abortion" or the rise in the number of unmarried couples. Then Benedict XVI addressed some issues, such as "the promotion of priestly and religious callings" and the problem of migration, which affects so many families. "I ask you with all my heart stated the Holy Father to support with great love, as you are already doing, the immigrants of Haiti who left their country in search of better living conditions for themselves and for their families". In addition, the Pope highlighted the need to "evangelise culture" in order to promote "the human and evangelical values in their fullness". (continued)
