Cardinal Farrell launches International Catechesis for WMOF

By Lydia O’Kane

There are seven months to go until the World Meeting of Families and on Thursday Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life presented to journalists seven catecheses to help and guide dioceses, parishes and families in the lead up to the Dublin event.

7 Catechetical passages

Journalists were treated to a video montage of Italian singer Andrea Bocelli performing the seven catechetical passages at the Sagrada Famiglia in Barcelona, which are based on the Gospel account of the Finding of Christ in the Temple.

The Irish Cardinal said it was his hope that these seven passages would be a source of dialogue and discussion.. “I would hope that couples, friends and same age groups would get together and discuss these catechesis; I would hope then in parishes they would use them as a method to create a discussion among people and I would hope that dioceses would use them and Bishops would use them also.”

Marriage

Cardinal Farrell noted that the specific purpose of the gathering, “was to teach what the Church teaches on marriage, you know we are not going to make any excuses for what we believe… that doesn’t mean that we don’t recognize that there are other ways of understanding marriage but we’re talking about the way we understand marriage.”

During the five day meeting there will be a three day congress on the “The Gospel of the Family: Joy for the World”. There will also be a seminar organized by Cardinal Sean O’Malley, President of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

Cardinal Farrell expressed the hope that the strong tradition of family life in Ireland would be an example “and become contagious” to the rest of the world during this meeting.

The World Meeting of Families takes place from August 21st to 26th 2018.