From 9 to 11 November 2025, Rome hosted a meeting of bishops and national directors for Family and Life of the European Bishops’ Conferences, organised by the CCEE Commission for Family and Life.
H. E. Msgr. Leo CUSHLEY, Archbishop of St Andrews & Edinburgh and President of the CCEE Commission for Family and Life, opened the proceedings, emphasising that the Church’s teaching on marriage, family, and life is more relevant than ever for Europe today. He made reference to the theme of the meeting “The Christian Family: The Hope of Europe” and encouraged the participants to share experiences and best practices for strengthening families, as the heart of Christian life and a sign of hope for the future of the continent.
“The Family and the Church in Europe Today: Some Thoughts and Propositions” was the theme of the first working session, held by Fr. Marc RASTOIN SJ, professor at the Pontifical Biblical Institute of Rome. He reflected on the crisis, and possible renewal, of family life in Europe, highlighting the current difficulties — ageing population, declining birth rates, fragile relationships, identity uncertainties and ecological anxiety — that make commitment to marriage more difficult. However, he sees in all this an opportunity to rediscover the evangelical ideal of marriage, lived as a free vocation and faithful to love. According to him, the Church must better accompany families, train priests and lay people, support couples in difficulty, and make creative use of new means of communication.
The second speaker, Msgr. Livio MELINA, Preside emeritus of the Pontifical John Paul II Theological Institute for Marriage & Family Sciences and expert in Moral Theology, highlighted in his speech entitled “The Family as a School of Love and Hope”, the role of the family as the light of the world and as a source of hope for individuals and society, according to the two main documents of the Second Vatican Council (Lumen gentium and Gaudium et spes). He emphasised that the family is in crisis today because love has become something private and individual and because there is a lack of emotional and moral reference points. To overcome this crisis, Monsignor Melina invited us to rediscover the truth of the family in God’s plan: a place where we learn to love as children, as spouses and as parents.
The seminar participants had the opportunity to listen to presentations from the various Bishops’ Conferences as well as the report on the activities of FAFCE (Federation of Catholic Family Associations in Europe), which has a dual mission: to represent the voice of the family at both the European Union and international level as well as to promote the work and development of family associations.
The programme of the meeting was enriched by moments of communion, culture and prayer, which included passing through the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica and a visit to the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls.
