杏MAP导航

By Vatican News staff writer

杏MAP导航 Francis opened the meeting on the 鈥淕eneral States of Birth鈥�, which held on Friday at the Auditorium della Conciliazione, close to the Vatican.

The initiative, organized by the 鈥淔orum for Family Associations鈥�, aims to explore the demographic crisis in Italy, which has been further brought to the fore by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic that has resulted in increasing levels of poverty among families. The meeting gathered experts and high-level Italian officials, including Prime Minister Mario Draghi.

In his speech, 杏MAP导航 Francis applauded the initiative, stressing that it is essential to get Italy moving again, 鈥渟tarting with life and with the human being.鈥�

Low birth rates

Providing some context to the demographic situation in the country, 杏MAP导航 Francis noted that according to the data, 鈥渕ost young people want to have children, but their dreams of life鈥�clash with a demographic winter, still cold and dark: only half of young people believe they will be able to have two children in their lifetime.鈥�

He further noted that Italy has had some of the lowest birth rates in Europe, transforming it into an old country, not because of its history but rather because of the advanced age of the people. In fact, in 2020, 鈥淚taly reached the lowest number of births since national unity, not because of Covid-19, but because of a continuous, progressive downward trend, an increasingly harsh winter.鈥�

Moreover, the Italian President had stressed the importance of the birth rate as 鈥渢he most critical reference point of this season鈥�, because 鈥渇amilies are not the connective tissue of Italy, families are Italy.鈥�

Protecting the family

To remedy the situation, the 杏MAP导航 highlighted the importance of taking care of families, especially young families who are assailed by worries that risk paralyzing their life plans.

In this regard, 杏MAP导航 Francis turned his thoughts to those affected by the uncertainty of work, or the high cost of raising children, as well as to the many families that have had to work overtime between work and school, with parents and grandparents playing different roles to take care of the family.

He also lamented the plight of working women who are discouraged from having children, or those who have to hide their protruding bellies.

鈥淚t is society that should be ashamed, not the woman,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said. 鈥淏ecause a society that does not welcome life stops living. Children are the hope that makes a people reborn!"

杏MAP导航 Francis greets children at the conference

The 杏MAP导航, however, acknowledged a law that provides an allowance for every child that is born, adding that it will go a long way to meet the concrete needs of families and will mark the start of social reforms that put children and families at the center.

鈥淚f families are not at the center of the present, there will be no future; but if families restart, everything restarts,鈥� he stressed.

The 鈥済ift鈥�

The 杏MAP导航 then went on to offer three thoughts that could be useful on the path out of the 鈥渄emographic winter.鈥�

The first thought, said the 杏MAP导航, 鈥渞evolves around the word 鈥榞ift鈥�.鈥�

鈥淓very gift is received, and life is the first gift that everyone has received. No one can give it to himself. First of all, there was a gift.鈥�

He added that we have all received a gift and we are called to pass it on, and a child is the greatest gift for everyone and thus comes first.

He further underlined that 鈥渢he lack of children, which causes an ageing population, implicitly affirms that everything ends with us, that only our individual interests count.鈥� This, he noted, is common in more affluent, consumerist societies marked with more indifference and less solidarity.

杏MAP导航 Francis urged everyone to help each other 鈥渢o rediscover the courage to give, the courage to choose life鈥�, because it is 鈥渋s creative and does not accumulate or multiply what already exists, but opens up to newness.鈥�

Generational sustainability

The 杏MAP导航鈥檚 second consideration centered on sustainability. He noted that even as we speak of economic, technological and environmental sustainability, we should also consider generational sustainability.

鈥淲e will not be able to feed production and protect the environment if we do not pay attention to families and children. Sustainable growth comes from here,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 underlined.

The 杏MAP导航 on stage during the General States of Birth

He recalled that during the reconstruction phases after the wars that devastated Europe in the past, 鈥渢here was no restart without an explosion of births, without the ability to instill confidence and hope in the younger generations.鈥�

Likewise, today, he continued, 鈥渨e find ourselves in a situation of re-starting, as difficult as it is full of expectations.鈥� We, therefore, cannot follow short-sighted models of growth, since the birth rate and the pandemic call for 鈥渃hange and responsibility.鈥�

The role of schools

杏MAP导航 Francis then stressed the role of schools, in addition to the primary role of families.

鈥淚t cannot be a factory of notions to be poured over individuals; it must be the privileged time for encounter and human growth. At school, one does not mature only through grades, but through the faces one meets.鈥�

He stressed the importance of lofty models 鈥渨hich form hearts as well as minds鈥�, especially for young people who are exposed to the world of entertainment and sports and who see 鈥渕odels who only care about appearing always beautiful, young and fit.鈥�

鈥淵oung people do not grow thanks to the fireworks of appearance, they mature if attracted by those who have the courage to pursue big dreams, to sacrifice themselves for others, to do good to the world in which we live,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said.

Structural solidarity

The third word the 杏MAP导航 proposed was 鈥渟olidarity鈥�. He called for a 鈥渟tructural鈥� solidarity that gives stability to the structures supporting families and helping birth rates, which require 鈥減olicies, economics, information, and a culture that courageously promotes childbirth.鈥�

On this issue, 杏MAP导航 Francis stated the need for 鈥渇ar-reaching, forward-looking family policies: not based on the search for immediate consensus, but on the growth of the common good in the long term,鈥� adding that 鈥渢here is an urgent need to offer young people guarantees of sufficiently stable employment, security for their homes and incentives not to leave the country.鈥�

Continuing, he said that solidarity should also be expressed in the service of information, especially today when twists and turns and strong words are fashionable. Here, 鈥渢he criterion for educating by informing is not the audience, not controversy, but human growth,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 stressed.

He further added that we need 鈥渇amily-size information, where people talk about others with respect and delicacy as if they were their own relatives. And that at the same time brings to light the interests and plots that damage the common good, the maneuvers that revolve around money, sacrificing families and individuals.鈥�

No future without childbirth

Concluding his address, 杏MAP导航 Francis expressed his gratitude for the initiative and all who believe in human life and in the future.

鈥淪ometimes you will feel as if you are shouting in the desert, fighting against windmills,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said. 鈥淏ut go ahead, do not give up, because it is beautiful to dream the good and build the future. And without births, there is no future.鈥�