Scottish Catholic Observer

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow is urging Catholics to make their family the focus of their life.
In a letter to be read in all parishes this weekend to mark the 49th World Communications Day, the president of the Bishops’ Conference of Scotland calls on behalf of the hierarchy on all Catholics to embrace the role of the family as the true building block of a good society, which can be used as a force for dialogue and reconciliation.
Archbishop Tartaglia said Catholics should heed Pope Francis’ call to Catholics around the world to see families as ‘a resource rather than as a problem for society’ and invites families to be examples of Christ’s love, kindness and fellowship.
“It is at the heart of the family that we learn communication has a religious dimension in the form of prayer,” the letter says. “The children who learn to listen, respect and share at home will become what Pope Francis calls a ‘force for dialogue and reconciliation in society.’”
The theme of this year’s World Communications Day message is Communicating the Family—a Privileged Place of Encounter with the Gift of Love.
Archbishop Tartaglia’s letter said that the Pope had rightly pointed out that it is in ‘the context of the family that we first learn how to communicate.’
“From this point onwards, we become members of a family and our ability to communicate grows,” the archbishop said. “First with parents, siblings, and grandparents, and then with our extended family, we interact and communicate, as we develop our native language. It is at the heart of the family that we learn communication has a religious dimension in the form of prayer: from the simple prayers of our childhood to the liturgy of the Mass and the intercessions we use at school and at home.”
He goes on to say that ‘this is a vision of the family as the true building block of society.’
“The children who learn to listen, respect and share at home will become what Pope Francis calls ‘a force for dialogue and reconciliation in society,’” he states. “In a society, where many use foul language, speak badly of others, or spread hatred through gossip, the family can be a singular example of communication based on love and respect.”
The archbishop said that this means parents have an obligation to ‘ensure that they encourage the next generation to use technology wisely and urge them to become communicators, not simply consumers.’
The letter says ‘the modern media have an important role to play, although they can both help and hinder communication within and between families.’
“They can help when they enable us to share our stories, to stay in contact with distant friends, to thank others or to seek their forgiveness,” it states. “They can hinder when they bombard us with images and messages which do not lead to authentic encounter and which are not based on respect.”

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