WMOF: Uruguay, the challenge of forgiveness, the meeting between generations

Sebastian Samson Ferrari – Vatican City

With great enthusiasm: this is how the Uruguayan delegation experiences its participation in the X World Meeting of Families, which takes place in Rome from June 22 to 26. These are the terms underlined by Monsignor Fabián Antúnez SJ, bishop of the Diocese of San José and president of the National Commission for Family and Life Pastoral Care of the Episcopal Conference of Uruguay, in an interview with Vatican News, from outside the Paul VI Hall, where between Thursday 23 and Saturday 25 the work of the congress is carried out.

Monsignor Antúnez expressed satisfaction at seeing the reality of the family from a multicultural perspective, with common problems, emphasizing important issues such as dialogue between generations, the importance of dialogue and communication, the spirituality of family life, among others. .

The prelate asserted that the closest challenge is to structure lines of shared work beyond specific events, in areas such as marriage, preparation for courtship, accompaniment in difficult times (separation, widowhood). He also mentioned euthanasia as an issue in which they hope to have as a Church a message that helps reflection and that cares for life in all its phases, from conception to natural death (ed: there is a bill under debate on euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide – here you can read the complete record of his treatment).

Monsignor Antúnez commented that they want to transfer to their country the experience they had with some catechesis, articulate different realities, incorporate messages from young people, parents, grandparents. In turn, Antúnez announced that they will hold a meeting in October to relaunch the Family Ministry.

For their part, Lucía Scremini and her husband Fernando Bianco, executive secretaries of the National Commission for Family Pastoral Care, expressed their emotion at the message of Pope Francis during the Festival of Families, which opened this important event. “It touched our hearts deeply,” they affirmed, emphasizing that it was multicultural in nature, that it challenges them as a family and encourages them to share it with other families in their country.

The official delegation

In addition to Monsignor Antúnez and the Scremini-Bianco couple, two other couples complete the delegation: on the one hand, Gustavo Rodríguez and Mónica Martínez, from the Family Pastoral Commission of the Archdiocese of Montevideo; on the other, Teresa Zerbino and Carlos Queralto, former executive secretaries of the Commission.

This is the entire Uruguayan delegation (Photo by the Episcopal Conference of Uruguay)