A group of intellectuals and professors, both Catholic and different Christian faiths, from all around the world sent a letter to Pope Francis thanking him for the upcoming Synod on the Family. They believe that the Synod 'is an opportunity to express timeless truths about marriage.â? Among those who signed the letter are Italian bishop Renzo Bonetti, Spanish professor Rafael Navarro-Valls and North American Thomas Farr, who teaches at Georgetown University.
The document also analyzes some of the challenges families face today. 'Unmarried cohabitionâ? and the so-called 'no fault divorceâ? are among the most urgent problems it highlights, especially in the United States. Also, the lack of support for enduring marriages and what they define as the 'costs of pornography.â?
Along with this picture of the troubles families have today, the document gives some hints on how to solve them. It encourages the General Assembly of Bishops to look for bold ways of evangelizing married couples. Some of them include building 'small communities of married couples who support each other unconditionally,â? teaching priests to 'showcase in their homilies the spiritual and social value of marriageâ? and resisting 'any changes to laws that would further weakenâ? marriage as 'conjugal union of one man and one woman.
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