The well-being of the individual person and of human and Christian society is intimately linked with the healthy condition of that community produced by marriage and family.[1]
Pope Paul VI issued this prophetic message in the Vatican II document, Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes), on December 7, 1965. At a time when the world was fraught with rapid change and traditional values were being questioned, and often jettisoned as being “old fashioned,” the Church offered its service to guide humanity to true meaning and happiness. Divorce was rapidly rising, children born out of wedlock were increasing and traditional family life and moral values were under attack. More than 50 years later the assault on families has escalated, leaving broken children and parents in its wake.