WE MUST REDISCOVER THE VALUE OF THE FAMILY

VATICAN CITY, DEC 31, 2000 (VIS) - At midday today, feast of the Holy Family, the Pope appeared at the window of his private study in order to pray the angelus with thousands of faithful who had gathered in St. Peter's Square.

"For we believers," said John Paul II prior to the Marian prayer, "the family, reflection of the Trinitarian communion, has as its model the family of Nazareth."

The Holy Father recalled the many families that find themselves in difficult situations: "Some are marked by extreme poverty; others are forced to seek in foreign countries that which, unfortunately, they cannot find in their own homeland; others suffer serious internal problems caused by the rapid cultural and social changes to which they are at times subject."

He continued: "And what can we say of the many attacks against the institution of the family? All this shows how urgent it is to rediscover the value of the family and help it in every way to be as God wished it: a living environment where every child who comes into the world is welcomed from conception with tenderness and gratitude."

John Paul II concluded by indicating that "as this year closes, we invoke the Lord's pardon for the shortcomings that have marked our individual and community lives. Only in this way can our thanksgiving for the many benefits received be true and sincere."

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