On Friday, Pope Francis addressed the issues that families face, including dangers to human dignity like pornography and surrogacy.
“We also talk about the scourge of pornography, which is now spread everywhere via the web,” the pope stated on June 10 at the Vatican.
“It should be denounced as a permanent attack on the dignity of men and women. It is not only a matter of protecting children — an urgent task of the authorities and all of us — but also of declaring pornography a threat to public health,” he told members of a family association network.
The pope, while quoting a 2017 speech he gave to a congress on child dignity online, added that “it would be a serious illusion to think that a society in which abnormal consumption of sex on the web is rampant among adults is then capable of effectively protecting minors.”
Family networks, schools, and local communities are crucial to combat pornography and to help heal the wounds of those addicted, he said.
“The dignity of men and women is also threatened,” he said, “by the inhumane and increasingly widespread practice of ‘womb renting,’ in which women, almost always poor, are exploited, and children are treated as commodities.”
In a meeting with members of the Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe (FAFCE), Pope Francis discussed some of the issues that families confront.
FAFCE is a Catholic umbrella organization that supports Catholic families and encourages European institutions and local governments to tackle family policy issues. The group met with Pope Francis ahead of their family conference on June 10 in Rome, which was held in preparation for the World Meeting of Families 2022.
The pope urged the pro-family organization to continue its mission in what he called “not only an era of change, but a change of epoch”.
It can be a difficult time for families, he added, “but, with God’s grace, we are called to work with hope and confidence, in effective communion with the Church.”
“The family founded on marriage is, therefore, at the center. It is the first cell of our communities and must be recognized as such, in its generative, unique and indispensable function,” the Pope said.
The pope was also concerned about the hardship that was caused the COVID-19 pandemic, and also the “hidden pandemic” of loneliness.
“While many families have rediscovered themselves as domestic churches, it is also true that too many families have experienced loneliness, and their relationship with the Sacraments has often become merely virtual,” he emphasized.
In response to a claim that children had a negative impact on the world’s ecology, Pope Francis disagreed.
“The concept of a ‘ecological footprint’ cannot be applied to children, as they are an indispensable resource for the future,” he stated, quoting an FAFCE Board Resolution from 2021. Instead, consumerism and individualism must be addressed, with the clearest example of resource optimization being seen in families.”
“Having children should never be considered a lack of responsibility towards creation or its natural resources,” he quoted.
Pope Francis also spoke about the essential role that families can play in promoting peace, particularly at a time when many families are being torn apart by the conflict in Ukraine.