Undermining family causes 'deep wound' to society, pope says

Published: 2004-11-22

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Those who undermine the fundamental role of the family cause "a deep wound to society" that is often impossible to repair, Pope John Paul II said. In an apparent reference to laws being passed in many Western countries that expand the definitions of family, the pope said the protection and promotion of traditional marriage and families by the church is a matter of "exceptional urgency." The pope gave his warning in a Nov. 20 audience with the Pontifical Council for the Family at the conclusion of its three-day plenary assembly at the Vatican. The pope and other church leaders repeatedly have been calling attention to what they see as the cultural and legal erosion of the established concept of marriage between a man and a woman under way in many developed countries. "The family based on marriage is a natural and irreplaceable institution and is the fundamental element of the common good of every society," Pope John Paul said. "Those who destroy this fundamental fabric of human society, not respecting its identity and distorting its role, cause a deep wound to society which often provokes irreparable damage," he said.

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