Familiaris consortio

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Familiaris consortio is a post-synodal apostolic letter with which Pope John Paul II addressed the bishops , priests and the faithful of the whole Church on November 22nd, 1981 . It is subtitled “On the tasks of the Christian family in the world”. With this letter he summarized the results of the Fifth Ordinary Synod of Bishops , which was held in Rome from September 26th to October 25th, 1980 . It was published in the AAS , Vol. 74 (1982), 81-191.

The Synod of Bishops

In his introduction, John Paul II describes the Church's great interest in the family and outlined the importance of marriage , family and upbringing in our society . (FC 2) The Pope establishes a link to the previous Synods of Bishops and the mandate of the Second Vatican Council and declares that the last Synod with that on the “official priesthood” and “ justice in the world of today” is in a certain sense mental connection. (FC 2)

“At the end of their deliberations, the Fathers of the Synod presented me with an extensive list of proposals (" Propositiones "). It contains the results of their deliberations in those busy days. They unanimously asked me to express to humanity the Church's living concern for the family and to give appropriate instructions for a renewed pastoral commitment in this fundamental area of ​​human and ecclesiastical life. "

structure

The apostolic letter Familiaris Consortio is divided into 86 paragraphs. In the total of eight language versions (D, E, Es, F, I, L, Pl, Pt), the seven modern languages ​​not only have the structure, but also headings and sub-headings that were taken from the German version. The Latin (original) text has no such headings.

introduction
1. The family today - light and shadow
2. Marriage and the family in God's plan
3. The tasks of the Christian family
I. The formation of a community of people
II. The service of life
III. The family's participation in social development
IV. The participation of the family in the life and mission of the Church
4. Family pastoral care: times, structures, actively involved, special situations
I. Times for family pastoral work
II. Family pastoral structures
III. Contributor in family pastoral work
IV. Family pastoral care for difficult situations
Enough
Outstanding partial aspects are mentioned below:

To humanity and family

The key message is: The future of humanity is closely linked to that of the family and love , John Paul II believes that the family is decisive for the fate of people. The family is also of extraordinary importance for happiness, ability, existence and meaning of man (FC 86), it is at the same time the origin and the foundation of humanity. “Because”, he writes, “man cannot live without love and remains if he does not meet love and it experiences an incomprehensible being for itself”. (FC 18)

About society and family

One of the basic tasks of a society is to respect and promote the family (FC 45), this includes the recognition, respect and strengthening of the rights of the family. (FC 46) Tasks that families can carry out without support must remain their responsibility, but it is a "duty of the authorities to support the family and, where necessary, to promote it with appropriate means". (FC 45)

To protect marriage and family

In order to protect marriage and the family, the Pope explains that "marriage as an institution is neither an improper intervention by society or authority nor an external imposition of a form, but an inherent necessity of the conjugal covenant of love ...". (FC 11) The protection of the family, he continues, is a task of the utmost urgency; it raises this importance because “marriage and the family are of irreplaceable importance for the authentic development of human coexistence”. (FC 42-48) The Pope places the protection of marriage and family in the hands of the public authorities and recommends that “public opinion should not only be led to underestimate the importance of the institution of marriage and family”. (FC 81)

About the dignity and rights of children

In order to preserve the personal dignity of the child , it is particularly important for the community to give the children their full attention. "This applies to every child, but gains a special urgency when the child is still small and helpless, sick, suffering or disabled". (FC 26)

From task to education

An important task in the family is the freedom and responsibility to bring up children. A good upbringing is one of the prerequisites for taking on all kinds of tasks in society. “In upbringing, children are also taught values that they can acquire, which are fundamental for every free, honorable and responsible citizen”. (FC 43) A good upbringing appears to be guaranteed “if the children - are led to dialogue , encounter, sociality, law-abidingness, solidarity and peace by learning the fundamental virtues of justice and love to practice". (FC 43)

On the right to raise children

The right to bring up children nevertheless gives rise to the duty of parents to deal responsibly with the passing on of human life. “Because of the uniqueness of the relationship that exists between parents and children; as irreplaceable and inalienable, which is why the others cannot be completely transferred or confiscated by others ”. (FC 36) With the upbringing, the parents also convey values ​​that are fundamental for the later adult citizen. (FC 43) On this topic it is stated that the parents are not the only educators of their children (FC 40), rather the education will have to be coordinated in cooperation with civil and church organizations .

About family solidarity

Families must be aware that they share responsibility for possible changes in society and that they must therefore take the initiative in family policy . In the reallocation of financial resources, the principle of solidarity must prevail, which means that much attention must be paid to family support. (FC 44-45).

The sacrament of marriage

The Pope justifies the sacrament of marriage with the fact that the spousal covenant is an important expression for the “love community between God and man and a key to the symbolism of the stations of the great covenant that God made with his people to understand". (FC 12, 13) The family connected by the sacramental bond thus testifies that it is connected to the church and that the family is a domestic church or a church on a small scale. That is why she is called to "be a sign of unity for the world and thus exercise her prophetic office ...". (FC 48)

About the character of marriage and love

The characteristic features of marriage are: the wholeness with which the spouses give each other in everything that constitutes the person physically and spiritually, the indissolubility and loyalty , the fertility to which they are naturally open. (FC 13.19)

For contraception

“As far as the“ methods ”of responsible reproduction are concerned, especially sterilization and termination of pregnancy are to be rejected as morally inadmissible. The use of contraceptives in their various forms should also be rejected. (FC 32) "

Divorce and remarriage

First of all, the Pope mentions that the introduction of divorce into civil jurisprudence promoted an unrelated interpretation of the conjugal covenant, which leaves no room for respect for the sacrament. “Due respect both for the sacrament of marriage and for the spouses and their families themselves, as well as for the community of the faithful, forbids any pastor , for whatever reason or under any pretext, even if it is of a pastoral nature, from any kind of ceremony for divorced people who want to remarry ”. (FC 20)

On the status of women

In the relationship between family and work, the work of women in the family deserves special attention. Nursing work, beginning with maternal care, is an important activity precisely because it is dedicated to and oriented towards the service of quality of life. It must be socially recognized and upgraded accordingly. (FC 23).

The woman in the world of work

Work is a basis for building up family life, it secures the livelihood and ensures the upbringing of the children. (FC 23) The urgency of a real "recognition of the rights of women in the world of work becomes clear above all from the aspect of pay, insurance and social security". (FC 24)

Elderly people

Care for the elderly can be a testimony that certain aspects of life, such as human and cultural , moral and social values, are not measured in terms of economic or functional criteria. “After all, it is not just about doing something for the elderly, it is more important to accept these people in a concrete way as responsible employees, as sponsors of projects in which they are involved in both the planning and the dialogue phase and take part in the implementation ”. (FC 27)

See also

literature

  • Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church - Fifth Chapter, The Family: Life Cell of Society, Herder Verlag, Freiburg im Breisgau, 2006, ISBN 3-451-29078-2 .
  • Theresia Heimerl , Other Beings. Women in church. Vienna u. a. 2015. pp. 66–74.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.vatican.va/archive/aas/documents/AAS-74-1982-ocr.pdf
  2. ↑ The abbreviation “FC” used stands for “Familiaris consortio”. The number represents the current paragraph number in the letter, e.g. B. (FC 5).
  3. ↑ http://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/de/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_exh_19811122_familiaris-consortio.html