On the occasion of the ad limina visit of the Bishops of Tuscany, on Tuesday April 9th, at the Pontifical Council for the Family, Msgr. Mario Meini, Bishop of Fiesole, Delegate for the Family Pastoral of the Bishops’ Conference of Tuscany, was interviewed by Emanuela Bambara.
 

«The Creator does all things well. The family was created by God, and it will exist as long as the world does: a father, a mother and their children. Therefore, we should not let too many fears shake us. The family resists the attacks of the times and rises again. The serenity of education, the harmonious development of children in a warm family atmosphere of affection and understanding is the incubator of a good citizen and a good Christian. In the family, he learns to love and accept life’s sense. In the course of our meeting, Msgr. Vincenzo Paglia repeatedly stressed the family’s strategic function as a resource of society, including on the economic level, as the first civil enterprise. The urgency on the pastoral level, is to keep close ties with the families, through priests and lay people, and not only with the families of active parishioners, but with the families sic et simpliciter, secular, in the most beautiful sense of the term, even if they are not committed in the parish, or even non-practicing. I know an engineer of my diocese, the father of two children, one of which is handicapped; to get to work every day he rides his bike for over twenty minutes on the road to the station and then spends more than an hour on the train. There, on the train, he prays and reads the Bible, and in the evening he comes back tired but peaceful, loving towards his wife and children. What more could one expect from him to be a good Christian? Our task is to encourage parents and families, so that they don’t feel alone, because by being responsible they are already good Christians. One pastoral priority is certainly the attention to the sick. There are heroic families who care for their sick, and there are indeed are many. At least once a week someone sent by the parish and at least once a month the priest should visit these families, help and comfort them. This is the frontier of family ministry. Loving care and attention serve those whose affections are injured. We should put into practice Pope Francis’ example, including his language, in order to make everyone feel welcomed, loved, understood with sympathy and empathy».

 

«The Tuscan situation is not different from that of other regions of Italy. There’s a great need to care for wounds in the affections. The person who is separated, or the one with a new family, needs to feel at home in the Church. This is truly a debated issue. Pope Francis is always calling to sink the principles in love, kindness and empathy for the other person with his experience, his sufferings. We make God’s love felt concretely. Last year, I put my pastoral guidelines for the families under the title: “Famiglie, non temete!” (Families, don’t be afraid!). In Tuscany, there is a tradition of family ministry. Msgr. Pietro Fiordelli, already back in the fifties, gave it an important boost. Even today there is great vitality, with attention for life, not only at its beginning, but for the dignity of the human person throughout life, from his conception on. In Tuscany a Pro-Life Movement was created. The positive aspects outweigh the negative ones; and I think that this is one of the tasks of pastoral ministry: insist on the good rather than on criticism. The natural family is society’s cornerstone. Years ago people were saying: “Family is beautiful.” Today’s mothers are as mothers have always been, not better or worse. With what the daily heroism so many parents care for children with disabilities or with problems, so many spouses assist sick spouses, many children look after elderly and dependent parents, and many brothers and sisters help their siblings in their difficulties! Too many pastors strongly criticize the so-called bad habits of our time. That’s a gift to the evil. God speaks of love».

 

«If the foundation is the Gospel, the family is founded on the mystery of the Trinity; the relationship between parents and children is built on the Love of those who give their lives for one another. Whoever does not love has not come to know God-Love. Faith builds the house on the rock. Sacrifice is understood as a gift of love and a source of joy in the family’s unity; it is accepted with serenity and transmits serenity from one to the other. Faith is active, makes people industrious. The economic problems and the prevalence of selfishness destroy families and hope. “Don’t let your hope be stolen,” said Pope Francis. The serenity and confidence that come from faith are concrete, visible in everyday life, help to iron a shirt and make you so say to those who are tired: tonight I’ll do the dishes. The sacrament of marriage is lived in these moments of every day existence. So, faith influences the way we live our affections and intimacy».
 

«The first formation of the family takes place within the family itself, through mutual example. With healthy affections values are regenerated and reproduce themselves, even in crisis situations. The good values, attested in daily life, persist. And there is the loving attention of the Church, respectful of the family, without expecting active service in the parish in return, with love for the family as such. Lifelong learning for the family is, then, prayer, common prayer, everyone together».