Pope Francis wants the faithful to defend God's design for the family as the union of a man and a woman amid an ongoing 'ideological colonisation" seeking to subvert the Christian concept of marriage—a transparent reference to the inroads made by the movement to promote the rights of the LGBTQ community worldwide, including same-sex marriage.
The pope made the call on Thursday as he addressed members of the Equipes Notre Dame, an international lay movement which focuses on married spirituality, who were holding a meeting in Rome.
The pope emphasised the family is designed for the procreation of children, which cannot possibly be replicated in a same-sex union.
"The family – as God wants it, composed of a man and a woman for the good of the spouses and also the generation and education of children – is deformed by powerful contrary projects supported by ideological colonisation," Pope Francis said, according to the Catholic News Agency.
In his speech, the Pope said Christian couples and families are "in the best position" to announce Jesus to other families, and to support, strengthen and encourage them.
He said the "unique joy" that God gives to Christian couples and families "must be witnessed to, announced and communicated externally, so that others, in turn, take the same path."
He encouraged Christian couples to hold regular dialogues, noting the "need to sit down" and share thoughts amid the "current of a busy, individualistic world."
The pope also urged Christian families to help those who suffer due to lack of work, concern for a child, the distance or the absence of a family member, or to the violent environment where they live.
"We must have the courage to enter into contact with these families," he said, adding that it must be done "in a discreet but generous way, materially, humanly or spiritually, in those circumstances where they are vulnerable."
Pope Francis likewise encouraged Christian couples to serve as instruments of Christ's mercy toward those whose marriages have failed, pointing out that fidelity in marriage is a gift from God.
He said Christian couples who are united and happy should be able to understand the pain and the suffering felt by those families wracked by betrayal, abandonment and a lack of love.
"It is necessary, therefore, that you bring your witness and your experience to help Christian communities to discern the real situations in which these people find themselves, to welcome them with their wounds, and to help them to journey in faith and in truth," he said.
"Nor must you forget the unspeakable suffering of the children who experience these painful family situations: you can give a lot to them," he said.
10,000 tickets for papal Mass gone in under 30 seconds
The pope is slated to visit the United States later this September, an event much awaited by many Americans. As proof, the 10,000 tickets for those seeking to attend the papal Mass at the Eakins Oval along Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia were all snapped up in just under 30 seconds, according to CNN.
The tickets were made available online at 8 p.m. on a first-come, first-serve basis, according to those behind the World Meeting of Families. People were not allowed to get more than four tickets at a time. That restriction did not stop people from scrambling over tickets, and within just two hours since its release, people were already re-selling the tickets on eBay, with prices ranging from $99.99 up to $450.
