The family is an irreplaceable asset, the main source of the human, social and spiritual capital of a nation, the first and foremost of the civil institutions. The Bishops of Portugal stated this strongly in a pastoral letter on the sidelines of the Plenary Assembly Portuguese Bishops' Conference, held in Fatima from April 8th to 11th, on the topic “A força da família em tempos de crise” (The family’s strength in times of crisis), and also in preparation for the Pastoral Days on the organization of society in the light of the Social Doctrine of the Church (17-19 June).

In the current context of severe economic and financial crisis —the prelates write—, family solidarity between generations is the first and ultimate bastion for those in need, unemployed and without the necessary means for a dignified survival. This strength, so the bishops hope, must not remain isolated, but rather be extended to the entire society, including through a network of families, which will also give a Christian testimony in the midst of the suffering.

During the Christmas season, the Portuguese Bishops had already issued a pastoral note inviting Christians to multiply the «gestures of mutual aid, solidarity and sharing, in a time when work and material goods are scarce, overcoming selfish habits in order to put their neighbor into the center of their attention and service».
 

The crisis of our time stems − they write in the Pastoral Letter of 11 April − from «the failures of an economic model based on maximum profit and consumption, with an individualistic and selfish mindset, that considers individuals solely in terms of their ability to meet the demands of competitiveness», as Benedict XVI stated on the World Day of Peace 2013. Instead, «true and lasting success is attained through the gift of ourselves, our intellectual abilities and our entrepreneurial skills, since a liveable or truly human economic development requires the principle of gratuitousness as an expression of fraternity and the logic of gift (no. 5)», Pope Ratzinger said. Therefore, the Bishops continue, «the gratuity typical of family relationships should serve as a model for a new paradigm of development based on solidarity».

In the family, «the person is loved and welcomed as a unique and unrepeatable being, and experiences gratuitous love, spontaneous solidarity, authority as a service, the value of the sick and the elderly, the alliance between tradition and innovation, the unity and complementarity of male and female dimensions, loyalty and commitment». These are the values that must serve as the foundation for the construction of a new social and economic model, which can be applied to the ecclesial communities and to businesses, as well as to public administrations and services, schools, hospitals, and associations.

Precisely as a prototype of human, ethical, civil, political and economic development, the family must be defended and promoted at every institutional level of the Church and of the State. «We must believe in the family as a long-term project, based on the commitment of total self-giving and not on the impulsiveness of feelings. In this context, the decision to have children is reasonable». According to statistics, however, Portugal is one of the countries with the lowest birth rate.