Pope Francis reflected on family crises during an audience with members of the Retrouvaille Association, which is dedicated to helping couples in crisis. Those present thanked the Pope for his presence and attention.
-'We greet you on behalf of the four Italian Retrouvaille communities, and we thank you for giving us your blessing.'
Pope Francis reflected on the meaning of the word “crisis,” which has been used often throughout the pandemic.
POPE FRANCIS
'Today there is a great need for people, for spouses, who know how to bear witness to the fact that the crisis is not a curse. It is part of the journey, and it constitutes an opportunity. And we too, priests and bishops, must take this road, and show that crisis is an opportunity. Otherwise, we would be bishops closed up in ourselves, without real dialogue with other people. There is always crisis in real dialogue.'
The Pope also highlighted the importance of emerging from a crisis together, not alone. And he thanked the Retrouvaille Association for its essential work of accompanying couples going through difficult moments.
POPE FRANCIS
'Your experience is a specific testimony to this. It is an experience born from the grassroots, as often happens when the Holy Spirit gives rise to new realities in the Church which respond to new needs. This was the case with “Retrouvaille.” Faced with the reality of so many couples in difficulty or already divided, the answer is first of all to accompany.'
The family has been a key topic throughout Pope Francis' pontificate. His “Amoris Laetitia” exhortation is the fruit of the Synod held in 2014 and 2015, in which experts and members of the Retrouvaille Association participated.
BSB
TR: CT
