Towards the World Meeting of Families: 'Open hearts close to those who suffer'

By Vatican News

"Excuse me, thank you, sorry": the experience of a couple in the suburbs of Rome

Sara and Gianluca have been married for ten years and live in Villaggio Breda, a suburb on the eastern side of Rome.

They are parents of two little girls, they work, but most of all they work hard in the parish, in the day care centre of Santa Maria Madre del Redentore, in Tor Bella Monaca.

"The day care centre," they explain, "is a centre that kids from kindergarten through high school attend to do their homework, to live together, to play, to do catechism, to participate in sports activities, and to have a different example in front of them, because they are all children and young people with families in difficulty, which can be economic, social and different kinds of difficulties."

In a nutshell, the children succeed here in "Growing in Love," as the title of the short film that recounts the experience of these two spouses reads.

Created by director Antonio Antonelli, this is the seventh video in preparation for the 10th World Meeting of Families, which will take place in Rome on 22-25 June 2022 and is organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life and the Diocese of Rome.

The short film is paired with the catechesis "Excuse me, Thank You, Sorry," three words very dear to Pope Francis.

"By making these three words their own," the catechesis reads, "each member of the family puts himself in the condition of recognizing his own limitation. Recognizing one's weakness leads each of us not to prevaricate over the other, to respect him or her and not to claim to possess him or her. Excuse me, thank you and excuse are three very simple words that guide us in taking very concrete steps in the journey of holiness and growth in love. (...) Accepting that we are not enough for ourselves and leaving space for the other is the way to live not only love in the family, but also the experience of faith."