From the speech of Cardinal Vinko PULJIC, Archbishop of Vrhbosna (BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA)

All teachings and the proclamation of the Gospel truth regularly coincide with the way of the conscience, while the family transmits the faith with its heart, life and practice. This leads along the road of faith the one who accepts with love and knows with reason. I maintain, however, that the first success of the New Evangelization will be the return of dignity to the family, incorporating in it those values which make it a true nest of love, solidarity and unity. Here the strongest sense of evangelization will be seen. As pastor I experienced that my pastoral work is simply an addition to what the family has already built. I had success there with both the youth and children. This held true as well for the increase in new vocations, because the family was the first school of faith and truly encouraged personal encounter with Christ. The family was also the first seminary, I would say that this is my personal experience that I bring along from my life. The New Evangelization will succeed if it manages to restore the sanctity of marriage, which is the family nest of love, in such a way that it becomes a little Church. Then, the parochial community will become a powerful motor of evangelization, because it will have strong drivers leading it toward God. The most powerful thing in evangelization is the encounter with Christ, knowing how to love and accept Christ. This occurs by means of the deepest witness of faith. The family is the strongest witness to the faith, which it transmits with its heart. After the family, the priest is witness to faith. I can say that faith is communicated much more with that which it is than with that which it states.