The starting point and the guide for this journey is the one given to us by Pope Francis: \u201cthe beauty of the family and of marriage, the grandeur of a reality that is both simple and profound, a combination of joy, hope, burdens and suffering, just like the rest of life.\u201d\u009d We will seek to deepen our understanding of the theology of the family and of the pastoral care that we must exercise in today\u2019s world.\u201d\u009d \u201cAll this we will do,\u201d\u009d confirmed Pope Francis, \u201cin depth and without tripping into that \u201d\u02dccasuistry\u2019 that would inevitably diminish the value of our work.\u201d\u009d The Holy Father emphasized that in today\u2019s world the family is looked down on and treated badly and that what we are called on to do is make known how beautiful, and true and good it is to create a family, to be a family in today\u2019s world, and how the world, and the future of all human kind, cannot do without the family. Our task is to show the world God\u2019s shining plan for families, to help married couples live out that plan with joy, and to be there for them with a shepherd\u2019s care that is wise, brave and full of love\u201d\u009d (Pope Francis\u2019 Opening Discourse to the Special Consistory on the Family, February twentieth, 2014)<\/p>\n
This is what we will do as we look toward the Meeting in Philadelphia: we will be there for all the families of the world with a shepherd\u2019s care that is \u201cwise,\u201d\u009d and \u201cbrave\u201d\u009d and \u201cfull of love.\u201d\u009d Wisdom in understanding what families face today, bravery in taking on today\u2019s many and complex problems; and love in helping to resolve those problems in the light of the Gospel of the Family and of Life. We will deal with many issues in our wise, brave and loving work together: theology of the family, married spirituality and holiness, ecclesiology and pastoral care for families, the family in contemporary culture, immigration and the family, the family and ecumenism.<\/p>\n