The Pope’s three key words for marriage: ‘Please, thank you, forgive’ | New Religions

The head of the Roman Catholic Church urges couples to stay together, acknowledging that the pandemic has exacerbated some family problems.

Recognizing that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated some family problems, Pope Francis has encouraged married couples to seek help and encouraged them to remember three key words at a wedding: “Please, thank you and forgive me.”

Francis wrote a letter to the couple, which was released on Sunday, the feast day of the Roman Catholic celebration of the family of Jesus. It was the middle of a year-long celebration announced by the family Francis that will end in June with a big rally in Rome.

In the letter, Francis said the blockade and quarantine forced families to spend more time together. But he noted that this strengthened solidarity sometimes tested the patience of parents and siblings and in some cases led to difficulties.

“Pre-existing problems were exacerbated, in some cases creating almost unbearable conflicts. Many also experienced a broken relationship, ”Francis wrote.

He offered his support to these families and reminded their parents that breaking up marriage is especially hard for children as they see their parents as a constant source of stability, love, trust and strength.

“The breakup of marriage causes a great deal of suffering, as many hopes are dashed and misunderstandings are not easily cured by arguments and pains,” Francis wrote.

“Children have to endure the pain of not seeing their parents together.”

He urged parents to continue seeking help to resolve conflicts, including through prayer. “Remember, too, that forgiveness heals all wounds,” he said.

He repeated a refrain he had often used in gathering with family and spouses, listing the three most important words in a wedding: “Please, thank you and sorry.”

“After every discussion, don’t let the day end without making peace,” he wrote.

Francis deplores the decline in the birth rate

Also on Sunday, in a weekly speech in front of St. Peter’s Basilica, Francis lamented Italy. a decrease in the birth rate, warned that the decline posed a threat to the country’s future.

Births in Italy last year were at an all-time low since the nation was united in 1861, the National Bureau of Statistics said this month, with the figure falling for the 12th year in a row.

“The demographic winter is a real concern, at least here in Italy,” the pope said.

“A lot of people seem to have lost their desire to have children. Many couples prefer to be without children or to have only one child. “It’s a tragedy that goes against our families, our country and our future,” he added.

There were 404,892 births in Italy last year, the ISTAT statistics office said, 15,192 fewer than in 2019. There were 746,146 deaths in 2020, down from 59.3 million.

ISTAT says the birth rate has continued to fall this year, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic has been a factor in the decline.