Bishop says family cannot be defined by governments or parliament

Huesca, Spain, Sep 15, 2009 / 20:44 pm

Archbishop Francisco Gil Hellin of Burgos, Spain told the faithful during a Mass for the 20th Marian Day of the Family that the family “is a natural institution made by God,” and that therefore “neither governments nor the parliament are the ones to be saying what makes up a family.”
 
The Mass, held at the Shrine of Our Lady of the Angels, brought together 15,000 faithful from Spain, France, Poland and Italy in an act of devotion to Our Lady of the Angels in the north central Spanish city of Torreciudad.
 
During his homily, the archbishop called on families to rediscover each day “that treasure of which you are the depository.  God has blessed you with these loves: with your wife, your husband, your children.”
 
“Thus the family will truly be the sanctuary of life; it will be the guarantor that every child that results from the giving of one’s self in marital fidelity will be safeguarded by the strongest crib, which is conjugal and family love,” he added.
 
During the celebration a message from Pope Benedict XVI was read in which he called for “an unconditional yes to life” and asked spouses to surrender themselves to each other in mutual trust and fidelity. 
 
The celebration concluded with the recitation of the Rosary and Eucharistic benediction.