Pope Francis said this in response to the question asked by Carlo Marroni, journalist of "Il Sole 24 Ore", about civil unions and stepchild adoption, during the press conference on the return flight from Mexico. He also spoke about the family in his answer to Anne Thompson, of "NBC News", who asked how "a Church, which claims to be 'merciful,' can forgive more easily a murderess than divorcees who remarry".

"The family—Francis responded—was spoken about in two Synods, and the Pope talked about it all year long in the Wednesday catechesis. And this is a real question; I like it, because you posed it very well. In the post-synod document, which will be released—perhaps before Easter—,one of the chapters—because it has so many—reiterates everything that the Synod said about conflicts or wounded families, and the pastoral care of wounded families... This is one of the concerns. Just as another is marriage preparation." The Pope then mentioned "another very interesting chapter: the education of children. The victims of family problems are the children. But they are also the victims of problems in a family that neither the husband nor the wife want: for example, the need to work. When the father has no free time to talk to their children, when the mother has no free time to talk to their children... "

"The children—he continued—are victims of a social problem that hurts the family. This is a problem... I like your question. And a third interesting thing, in the meeting with the families in Tuxtla, was the couple re-married in a second marriage, integrated in the pastoral work of the Church; and the key word used by the Synod—now, I will take it up—is 'integrate' the wounded families, the remarried families, and all this, into the life of the Church. But don’t forget the children in the middle! They are the first victims—he concluded—, whether of wounds or the conditions of poverty, of work, and so on."