Pope Francis received on Thursday, September 10, the Équipes Notre-Dame, an international Catholic movement for Christian married couples, in audience. “A happy couple can understand the pain of failed love”. He condemned “ideological colonizations” and urged support for the numerous wounded families out there.
During an audience with members of Équipes Notre-Dame (Teams of Our Lady), an international Catholic movement for Christian married couples founded in France in 1938, the Pope called for “mercy” to be shown towards “people whose marriage has failed”. The movement is holding an international meeting in Sassone, Rome, which runs from 6 to 11 September. “Do not forget that your conjugal faithfulness is a God-given gift and that we have all been shown mercy. A united and happy couple can understand better that anyone else, from the inside almost, the pain and suffering caused by an abandonment, a betrayal, failed love,” the Pope said. He condemned the fact that today, the family’s image is distorted by powerful opposing forces backed by ideological colonizations”. He encouraged those present to be “close to families that have been wounded” by unemployment, poverty, health problems, loss, concern for a child, distance or a violent environment.
“This meeting which I have the joy of participating in with you, comes just a few weeks before the Synod of Bishops I decided to convene in Rome, so that the Church may reflect more closely on the experiences of families which are vital cells of our societies and of the Church and which, as you know, are under threat in today’s difficult cultural context,” the Pope started by saying.
Pope Francis was keen to underline the “missionary role” of Équipes Notre-Dame: “Christian couples and families are often in the best position to proclaim Jesus Christ to other families, to support, strengthen and encourage them.” The mission entrusted to them “is all the more important given that the image of the family – as God wants it to be, i.e. composed of a man and a woman, for the good of the married couple and of procreation and the education of their children – is distorted by powerful opposing forces backed by ideological colonizations,” the Pope emphasized. “Of course, you are already missionaries because you radiate your family life towards your friendships, relationships and beyond. Indeed, a happy, balanced family inhabited by God’s presence, is a reflection of God’s love for all humans. But I ask you, to be increasingly concrete and creative, if possible, in your commitment to organizing activities that welcome, educate and accompany couples - especially young couples - in the faith, before and after marriage.”
“I also urge you,” the Pope continued, “to continue being close to wounded families, and there are many of them today due to unemployment, poverty, health problems, loss, concern about a child, instability caused by distance or absence and an environment of violence. We need to be courageous and establish contact with these families, in a non-intrusive way, showing material, human or spiritual generosity at a time when they feel vulnerable.” “Finally, I wholeheartedly encourage the couples of Équipes Notre Dame,” Francis remarked, “to act as instruments of Christ and the Church’s mercy when interacting with people whose marriage has failed. Never forget that your conjugal faithfulness if a God-given gift and that we have all been shown mercy. A united and happy couple can understand better that anyone else, from the inside almost, the pain and suffering caused by an abandonment, a betrayal, failed love. It is therefore necessary for you to use your testimony and experience to help Christian communities understand the reality of these people’s experiences, to welcome them along with their wounds and to help them walk in faith and in the truth under the gaze of Christ the Good Shepherd, so that they can participate in Church life in an appropriate way. Also, never forget the unspeakable suffering of the young people that have to go through painful family situations: there is a great deal you can give to them.”
The Pope described the “concrete areas of action” of the Équipes Notre Dame movement as helpful in allowing couples to go forward in their conjugal life according to the Gospel. Efficient initiatives espoused by the movement include first and foremost couple and family prayer time, monthly dialogue between spouses (“the famous and demanding ‘duty to sit down’, which goes against the current in relation to the habits of the frenetic and agitated world impregnated by individualism”) and faithful participation in life as a team, with the presence of a priest. Francis also recalled that the beatification cause for the movement’s founder, Fr. Enrico Caffarel, has now reached Rome.
