Engaged couples who have already attended or are presently going through the courses of marriage preparation are invited to the meeting with the Holy Father, which will be held in Paul VI Hall at the Vatican, at 11:00 a.m.

For registration, no later than January 30, 2014, please visit the Diocesan Offices for the Family, or the offices of lay movements and associations, or send an email to: events@family.va.
 

«The Holy Father has repeatedly urged those who are in love and young married couples to live the faithful and fruitful joy that grows in holiness, as they follow the model of the Holy Family and welcome Christ into the life of their family, which is renewed each day and forever by the full and free gift of self in the sacramental love, penetrated by the grace of the Paschal Mystery». With these words the President of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, presented the event, which will be the first official meeting of Pope Francis with engaged couples.
 

At the encounter with the young people of Umbria, in Assisi, last October 4th, Pope Francis said: «What is marriage? It is a true and authentic vocation, as are the priesthood and the religious life. Two Christians who marry have recognized the call of the Lord in their own love story, the vocation to form one flesh and one life from two, male and female. And the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony envelops this love in the grace of God, it roots it in God himself. By this gift, and by the certainty of this call, you can continue on assured; you have nothing to fear; you can face everything together!».