The preparations in motion for the 5th World Meeting of the Families (19-11-2004)

Vatican City - The preparations for the World meeting of the Families, declared by John Paul II in the Spanish city of Valencia in 2006, are going well according to what he explained this Friday in the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for the family.

Monsignor Agustin Garcia-Gasco, Archbishop of Valencia, in a meeting with journalists including a Zenith correspondent, the Archbishop explained that they wanted that the meeting could take place in July of this year even though the date had not yet been decided.

Also, he revealed that in these moments they are debating the subject, what it should be about- the family and the transmission of faith.

"Before, the family was educated in faith, today it is not so" he affirmed, recognizing that without this contribution there is a grave risk, "we can teach content about what it is to be a Christian, but we cannot make Christians."

In the meeting with journalists, Cardinal López Trujillo, president of the Pontific Council of Families to whom the Pope has given the responsibility for the organization of these meetings, also participated. He explained that with these initiatives the Church is in search of a campaign concerning the family, "inherent to all humanity, not only Catholics."

This Meeting is taking place at a time when laws of many countries could be summarized with the expression "abuses to the families."

Both Cardinal López Trujillo and Archbishop Garcia-Gasco co-stated that these Meetings will have particular impact in Spain where in the present the socialist government promotes law-related projects that have given rise to opposition of the Catholic Church. These include the recognition of "homosexual marriage" (including the adoption of children by homosexual people).

The Archbishop of Valencia presented before the assembly with audio-visual methods about elements of meeting preparations, for example the loge and the official website both of which are in progress.

The program of these conferences must still be approved by John Paul II, but Cardinal López Trujillo confirmed that there will be first a Theological-Pastoral Congress in the Feria de Exposiciones in Valencia, one of the largest in the world.