Family values today

Like many other faithful in 1992, on the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady in Heaven, Mrs Dolores Cristina must have listened attentively to the Bishops' pastoral letter. The farthest thought in her mind then was that almost 12 years later she would be rereading this important pastoral letter on family values in her role as Minister for the Family. For her this is a great responsibility and a great privilege.

There is no doubt that the Church is not only rich in doctrine but also in foresight. As Pope Paul VI used to say, "the Church is an expert of humanity".

Among other important reflections in their pastoral letter of 1992, our Bishops stated: "This responsibility belongs to each one of us; first of all it belongs to us priests who are in duty bound to present to our people the true values of Christian life and help them to appreciate and live these values.

"It is also the responsibility of the civil authorities to respect, treasure and defend, even by means of laws, the dignity, the legitimate independence, the privacy, the integrity and the stability of the family."

At this point it is with pleasure that we call the attention of Minister Cristina to what Pope John Paul II had told the people of these islands in his homily during the solemn Mass he celebrated in front of Ta' Pinu sanctuary in May 1990.

The Pope stressed that "God's plan for the family is that it should be the place where children learn what it means to be responsible individuals and members of a larger community; a meeting place of unselfish love and personal sacrifice, a place where the children begin to understand for the first time God's love as expressed in their parents' love".

Basing themselves on Pope John Paul II's reflection, our Bishops said in their pastoral letter: "Our families used to understand and live this truth. Yet, contrary to what happened in the past, many of our married couples today are alienated by an urgent desire for money to fill their homes with ever new comforts, and thus have no time or patience enough to talk to each other and bring up their children on the strength of Christian values."

The Prime Minister, Dr Lawrence Gonzi, is in perfect agreement with the doctrine on family values as expounded in the Bishops' pastoral letter. This also holds good for their statement: "Many of our people, surrounded by a society and mass media which are slowly undermining Christian values and promoting a materialistic mentality, are confused and are thinking that one's house comes before one's family. They have lost the feeling of what comes first."

One very much hopes and prays this downward trend will stop. It is our collective responsibility.