Furthermore, the Auditors remarked on the need for greater dialogue between   
   Church and State, also through the efforts of lay faithful who, without   
   motivations of personal ambition, know how to promote the protection of the   
   rights of the family and the defence of life, working for a State with a human   
   face. The laity, it was remarked, must be active and competent in the public   
   defence of the values of life and the family.   
    The interventions focused on the need to adequately and permanently prepare   
   priests in relation to themes regarding the family, especially in relation to   
   openness to life, so that they are able to explain and speak naturally and   
   clearly about conjugal love. It was also noted that if natural family planning   
   is explained in depth, highlighting its positive worth, it can strengthen the   
   life of the couple. In this respect, it was reiterated that homilies, if well   
   prepared, may ensure that the faithful participate more fully in the   
   celebration of Mass.   
    A further starting point for reflection shed light on the importance of   
   testimony: the young do not need theory, it was said, but they clearly   
   understand the centrality of the family if it is demonstrated by families   
   themselves, credible witnesses and subjects of evangelisation. For this, the   
   Assembly reflected on the need for couples to be accompanied by adequate   
   pastoral care after marriage as well as before.   
    The Auditors then gave voice to the suffering of those who lose a family   
   member: widows and widowers, orphans, or parents who lose a child. For these   
   people, the accompaniment of the Church is fundamental, through support groups   
   and sharing, so that they do not become lost in the profound anguish of loss,   
   and the fear of a "desert" of emotions, but remain firm in their faith.   
    The Synod Fathers went on to speak about the importance of "human ecology",   
   which helps to combat the negative affects of economic globalisation, which   
   often proposes models contrary to Catholic doctrine. They expressed their firm   
   condemnation of all forms of domestic violence, especially in relation to   
   women, showing that this is often perpetrated by young people.   
    Finally, the need for communication within families was emphasised, as   
   sharing between couples, participation of both parents in the education of   
   children, and above all prayer within domestic walls, all contribute to   
   strengthening the family unit.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Message for families affected by conflicts   
    Vatican City, 10 October 2014 (VIS) - The full text of the message of the   
   Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for families who   
   suffer as a result of conflicts is published below:   
    "Gathered around the Successor of the Apostle Peter, we the Synod Fathers of   
   the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, along with   
   all participants, share the paternal concern of the Holy Father, expressing   
   our profound closeness to all the families who suffer as a consequence of the   
   many conflicts in progress.   
    "In particular, we raise to the Lord our prayers for Iraqi and Syrian   
   families, forced on account of their profession of the Christian faith or   
   their belonging to other ethnic or religious communities, to abandon   
   everything and flee towards a future without any form of certainty. We join   
   with the Holy Father Francis in emphasising that no-one may use the name of   
   God to commit violence, and that to kill in the name of God is a grave   
   sacrilege. Offering thanks to International Organisations and Countries for   
   their solidarity, we invite persons of good will to offer the necessary   
   assistance and aid to the innocent victims of the current barbarism, and at   
   the same time we implore the international community to act to re-establish   
   peaceful co-existence in Iraq, in Syria, and in all the Middle East.   
    "Equally, our thoughts go to those families that are torn apart and suffering   
   in other parts of the world, and who suffer persistent violence. We wish to   
   assure them of our constant prayer that the Lord may convert hearts and bring   
   peace and stability to those who are now in need.   
    "May the Holy Family of Nazareth, which suffered on the painful road of exile   
   make every family a community of love and reconciliation a source of hope for   
   the whole world".   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    "Useless slaughter": believers and the Holy See during the First World War   
    Vatican City, 10 October 2014 (VIS) - A press conference was held yesterday   
   at 11 a.m. in the Holy Press Office to present the International Congress   
   "Useless Slaughter: Catholics and the Holy See in the First World War",   
   organised by the Pontifical Council for Historical Sciences. The speakers were   
   Fr. Bernard Ardura, O. Praem., president of the Pontifical Council for   
   Historical Sciences and Professor Roberto Morozzo della Rocca of the "Roma   
   Tre" University.   
    "The initiative of the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences aims to   
   bring together numerous specialists in the field, with the intention of   
   offering a reinterpretation of the conflict not only seen but also experienced   
   by believers, mostly Catholics but also Protestants and Orthodox - and more   
   specifically for the Holy See that, at the time again without territory of its   
   own, and therefore within the territory of Italy, involved in the conflict,   
   sought as far as possible to safeguard its specific nature".   
    The theme of the congress, "Useless Slaughter", are two words that express   
   the drama of the First World War. One hundred years after the outbreak of the   
   first world war, the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, in   
   collaboration with the Hungarian Academy in Rome and the Commission   
   International d'Histoire et Etudes du Christianisme, have offered the   
   opportunity to review the historiography with particular attention to the   
   commitment of Catholics and the Holy See in the conflict.   
    Fr. Bernard Ardura explained that although the central theme of the meeting   
   was Catholics and the Holy See in the First World War, the congress also   
   includes interventions from various historians regarding States with   
   predominantly Protestant or Orthodox citizens. It is hoped, he affirmed, that   
   a second Congress will be held in 2018 on the consequences of the Treaty of   
   Versailles which were, at least in part, at the origin of the Second World War   
   and whose repercussions can still be felt at the dawn of the 21st century.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
    Other Pontifical Acts   
    Vatican City, 10 October 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Rev. Jose   
   Joao dos Santos Marcos of the clergy of Lisbon, Portugal, as coadjutor of the   
   diocese of Beja (area 12,300, population 211,964, Catholics 175,946, priests   
   54, permanent deacons 10, religious 75), Portugal. The bishop-elect was born   
   in Monte Perobolso, Portugal in 1949 and was ordained a priest in 1974. He   
   studied at the Higher Institute of Theological Studies in Lisbon, and has   
   served in a number of pastoral roles, including parish priest of the Church of   
   "Sao Tiago" in Camarate and "Nossa Senhora da Encarnacao" in Apelacao. He is   
   currently spiritual director of the Christ King major seminary (Olivais) of   
   the patriarchate of Lisbon, spiritual director in the "Redemptoris Mater"   
   seminary, Lisbon, member of the pastoral council of the patriarchate of   
   Lisbon, and canon of the Cathedral Chapter of Lisbon.   
      
   ___________________________________________________________   
      
   For more information and to search for documents refer to the site:   
   www.visnews.org and www.vatican.va   
      
   Copyright (VIS):  the news contained in the services of the Vatican   
   Information Service may be reproduced wholly or partially by quoting   
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    * Origin: Sursum Corda! BBS=Huntsville AL=bbs.sursum-corda.com (1:396/45)