Irish Church to develop new resources for married life

POPE Francis’ exhortation on the family, Amoris Laetitia, will provide the foundation and mission for the World Meeting of Families in Ireland in 2018 (WMF2018), delegates to the launch in Dublin heard last weekend, writes Sarah Mac Donald.

The president of the triannual global church event, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, told up to 700 delegates from across Ireland in St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, that he hoped they would challenge the Church’s leadership and structures to take Amoris Laetitia seriously and  bring concrete ideas for the renewal of marriage and family.

The theme chosen by Pope Francis for the World Meeting in 2018 is “The Gospel of the Family – Joy for the World”. A pre-catechetical programme being put together by the Council for Catechetics will be launched in March 2017. Organisers said it would be “a valuable resource for ongoing marriage preparation and support programmes”. Fr Timothy Bartlett, secretary general of WMF2018, said the programme will target the impact of technology on families and the way sport can help build bonds in families.

Archbishop Martin said critics of Amoris Laetitia “fear that the emphasis on mercy will weaken the promulgation of the truth”.