Reflection on Family Life Continues
International Meeting of the Secretariats of the New Families of the Focolare Movement, Mariapolis Piero, 24 October 2025
The second day of the International Meeting of the Secretariats of the New Families continued with the theme of Paradise 1949 and the Faily by Prof Antonio Baggio. Then, it continued with inspiring testimonies and thoughtful dialogue on challenges of families today, like the relationship between man and woman, difficulties as a couple, separation, bioethical challenges, adoption, parents with homosexual children, etc. The sessions explored themes of accompaniment, dignity, equality, ethics, and tenderness, all rooted in promoting the family and cultivating hope.
Paths of Light: Healing and Growth
There were presentations on the “Paths of Light” project from Latin America, a formation path for couples inspired by dialogue, communion, and self-awareness. The program, known as “Count on Me,” invites couples to take time away from daily routines to reflect, role-play, and discuss personal wounds and relational growth within a supportive group. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, online meetings sustained the journey, and by 2023, the first in-person gatherings resumed. The initiative has since spread to Argentina, Paraguay, and beyond, showing how dialogue and shared accompaniment can rebuild trust and love in families.
Ethics and the Family
In a roundtable session, Prof. Roberto Almada (Argentina) addressed ethical challenges in family life, drawing on concrete experiences as a Priest and counsellor. He highlighted how modern individualism and social change affect family bonds, and how renewed awareness of dignity, particularly the dignity of women, is essential for authentic reciprocity in marriage.
Amelia Mara Manjate (Mozambique), speaking via Zoom, reflected on equality in relationships, describing love as a path of mutual growth without losing identity. She reminded participants that self-knowledge and sincere dialogue are foundations for trust, balance, and enduring respect between spouses.
Bioethics and the Value of Life
Don Celito Moro (Brazil) guided a discussion on bio-ethics, focusing on how couples discern moral questions surrounding fertility and biotechnology. He stressed that science should serve life, not replace or manipulate it. The Church's teaching on artificially assisted procreation was revisited, with attention to the ethical risks of practices that separate conception from love and mutual self-giving.
Couples were encouraged to seek guidance and education on these complex issues, ensuring that choices in family life remain consistent with human dignity and faith.
Accompaniment and Tenderness
The other sessions deepened the theme of accompaniment, especially in situations of separation, fragility, or moral struggle. Speakers reminded participants that “living a Eucharistic life” goes beyond receiving the sacrament; it means embodying mercy, patience, and compassion in daily life.
Authentic love, it was said, "begins when we give others space to be themselves." Dialogue must start within, with self-acceptance and recognition of diversity. Questions of discernment, conscience, and inclusion, including sensitive topics such as homosexuality, were discussed in the light of pastoral care and respect.
Quoting Pope Francis, participants reflected that “tenderness is the language of those who accompany, it holds truth, mercy, and forgiveness.”(cf. Amoris Laetitia, Apostolic Exhortation on Love in the Family, 2016). Marriage, they agreed, carries both fragility and warmth, but it is in accompaniment that conversion and renewal begin.
A Shared Vision
For the Centre of Inculturation, accompanying the meeting continues to affirm its mission of linking faith, culture, and family life. The reflections from Day 2 highlight the need for inculturated formation, dialogue across generations, and pastoral care rooted in compassion; vital seeds for cultivating hope within families and communities.
Related links:
Researches & Documents N.9 - The Family in Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar
More information on the branch of New Families of the Focolare Movement
By Irene Kirung'e
Communication and Multimedia Specialist
Centre for Inculturation
Mariapolis Piero,
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