Leading Vatican diplomat urges support for families, rues denigration of family life

September 26, 2024

» Continue to this story on Holy See Mission

CWN Editor's Note: Addressing a meeting of the UN Human Rights Council, a leading Vatican diplomat called for “family-oriented social, economic, and cultural policies at both domestic and international levels.”

“Such policies should include, inter alia, measures to promote the institution of marriage and support the family, to protect life, to harmonize work and family life, and to assist parents in their role as primary educators of their children,” said Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva, Switzerland.

The diplomat noted that the growing phenomenon of couples who are choosing childlessness is “having a significantly detrimental impact on the vitality and cohesion of societies, with the potential to affect even the stability of welfare systems and the economy itself.”

“My Delegation is also concerned that the family is increasingly downplayed and denigrated in international fora,” he added, explaining:

The family is the first society as well as the privileged place to receive education and formation to contribute well to societal life. It is, therefore, absolutely fundamental—not ancillary nor tangential, much less harmful—for the full realization and enjoyment of the human rights of all.

In this regard, it should also be emphasized that the family is often the strongest advocate for and supporter of the most vulnerable in society: the unborn, children, the elderly and persons with disabilities.

For all current news, visit our News home page.

There are no comments yet for this item.