Chapter Two, THE EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES OF FAMILIES [excerpts]

"The welfare of the family is decisive for the future of the world and that of the Church" (p.23)

"What we need is a more responsible and generous effort to present the reasons and motivations for choosing marriage and the family, and in this way to help men and women better to respond to the grace that God offers them....We also need to be humble and realistic" (p. 26)

[As per the Synond Fathers,] "'....The State has the responsibility to pass laws and create work to ensure the future of young people and help them realize their plan of forming a family'....The lack of dignified or affordable housing often leads to the postponement of formal relationships" (p.33).

[As per the Synond Fathers,] "'....People with disabilities are a gift for the family and an opportunity to grow in love, mutual aid and unity'" (p.37)

"There is a failure to realize that only the exclusive and indissoluble union between a man and a woman has a plenary role to play in society as a stable commitment that bears fruit in new life. We need to acknowledge the great variety of family situations that can offer a certain stability, but de facto or same-sex unions, for example, may not simply be equated with marriage. No union that is temporary or closed to the transmission of life can ensure the future of society. But nowadays who is making an effort to strengthen marriages, to help married couples overcome their problems, to assist them in the work of raising children and, in general, to encourage the stability of the marriage bond?" (pp. 41, 42)

"Yet another challenge is posed by the various forms of an ideology of gender....It is one thing to be understanding of human weakness and the complexities of life, and another to accept ideologies that attempt to sunder what are inseparable aspects of reality. Let us not fall into the sin of trying to replace the Creator.... we are called to protect our humanity, and this means, in the first place, accepting it and respecting it as it was created" (pp. 44-46).