Pope: The family, a mission open to life, against hedonism and relativism

from Pope Benedict's Angelus yesterday

Today's world "needs families who do not allow themselves to be swept away by modern cultural trends inspired by hedonism and relativism, and who instead are ready to fulfill their mission in the Church and in society with generous dedication."


"Overcoming hedonism and relativism, parents are "true 'missionaries' of love and of life (cfr n.54).This mission is directed within the family -especially in reciprocal service and children's education - and outside: the domestic family, in fact, is called to be a sign of God's love towards all.It is a mission, this, that the Christian family can bring to fulfillmentonly if sustained by divine grace."

The pontiff closed his address by inviting families to pray: "It is necessary to pray tirelessly and to persevere in the daily effort to keep to commitments taken on the day of marriage. I invoke the maternal protectionof Our Lady and her spouse Joseph on all families, especially those indifficulty. Mary, Queen of the family, pray for us!"