Furthermore, the Auditors remarked on the need for greater dialogue between
Church and State, also through the efforts of lay faithful who, without
motivations of personal ambition, know how to promote the protection of the
rights of the family and the defence of life, working for a State with a human
face. The laity, it was remarked, must be active and competent in the public
defence of the values of life and the family.
 The interventions focused on the need to adequately and permanently prepare
priests in relation to themes regarding the family, especially in relation to
openness to life, so that they are able to explain and speak naturally and
clearly about conjugal love. It was also noted that if natural family planning
is explained in depth, highlighting its positive worth, it can strengthen the
life of the couple. In this respect, it was reiterated that homilies, if well
prepared, may ensure that the faithful participate more fully in the
celebration of Mass.
 A further starting point for reflection shed light on the importance of
testimony: the young do not need theory, it was said, but they clearly
understand the centrality of the family if it is demonstrated by families
themselves, credible witnesses and subjects of evangelisation. For this, the
Assembly reflected on the need for couples to be accompanied by adequate
pastoral care after marriage as well as before.
 The Auditors then gave voice to the suffering of those who lose a family
member: widows and widowers, orphans, or parents who lose a child. For these
people, the accompaniment of the Church is fundamental, through support groups
and sharing, so that they do not become lost in the profound anguish of loss,
and the fear of a "desert" of emotions, but remain firm in their faith.
 The Synod Fathers went on to speak about the importance of "human ecology",
which helps to combat the negative affects of economic globalisation, which
often proposes models contrary to Catholic doctrine. They expressed their firm
condemnation of all forms of domestic violence, especially in relation to
women, showing that this is often perpetrated by young people.
 Finally, the need for communication within families was emphasised, as
sharing between couples, participation of both parents in the education of
children, and above all prayer within domestic walls, all contribute to
strengthening the family unit.

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 Message for families affected by conflicts
 Vatican City, 10 October 2014 (VIS) - The full text of the message of the
Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for families who
suffer as a result of conflicts is published below:
 "Gathered around the Successor of the Apostle Peter, we the Synod Fathers of
the Third Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, along with
all participants, share the paternal concern of the Holy Father, expressing
our profound closeness to all the families who suffer as a consequence of the
many conflicts in progress.
 "In particular, we raise to the Lord our prayers for Iraqi and Syrian
families, forced on account of their profession of the Christian faith or
their belonging to other ethnic or religious communities, to abandon
everything and flee towards a future without any form of certainty. We join
with the Holy Father Francis in emphasising that no-one may use the name of
God to commit violence, and that to kill in the name of God is a grave
sacrilege. Offering thanks to International Organisations and Countries for
their solidarity, we invite persons of good will to offer the necessary
assistance and aid to the innocent victims of the current barbarism, and at
the same time we implore the international community to act to re-establish
peaceful co-existence in Iraq, in Syria, and in all the Middle East.
 "Equally, our thoughts go to those families that are torn apart and suffering
in other parts of the world, and who suffer persistent violence. We wish to
assure them of our constant prayer that the Lord may convert hearts and bring
peace and stability to those who are now in need.
 "May the Holy Family of Nazareth, which suffered on the painful road of exile
make every family a community of love and reconciliation a source of hope for
the whole world".

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 "Useless slaughter": believers and the Holy See during the First World War
 Vatican City, 10 October 2014 (VIS) - A press conference was held yesterday
at 11 a.m. in the Holy Press Office to present the International Congress
"Useless Slaughter: Catholics and the Holy See in the First World War",
organised by the Pontifical Council for Historical Sciences. The speakers were
Fr. Bernard Ardura, O. Praem., president of the Pontifical Council for
Historical Sciences and Professor Roberto Morozzo della Rocca of the "Roma
Tre" University.
 "The initiative of the Pontifical Committee of Historical Sciences aims to
bring together numerous specialists in the field, with the intention of
offering a reinterpretation of the conflict not only seen but also experienced
by believers, mostly Catholics but also Protestants and Orthodox - and more
specifically for the Holy See that, at the time again without territory of its
own, and therefore within the territory of Italy, involved in the conflict,
sought as far as possible to safeguard its specific nature".
 The theme of the congress, "Useless Slaughter", are two words that express
the drama of the First World War. One hundred years after the outbreak of the
first world war, the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences, in
collaboration with the Hungarian Academy in Rome and the Commission
International d'Histoire et Etudes du Christianisme, have offered the
opportunity to review the historiography with particular attention to the
commitment of Catholics and the Holy See in the conflict.
 Fr. Bernard Ardura explained that although the central theme of the meeting
was Catholics and the Holy See in the First World War, the congress also
includes interventions from various historians regarding States with
predominantly Protestant or Orthodox citizens. It is hoped, he affirmed, that
a second Congress will be held in 2018 on the consequences of the Treaty of
Versailles which were, at least in part, at the origin of the Second World War
and whose repercussions can still be felt at the dawn of the 21st century.

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 Other Pontifical Acts
 Vatican City, 10 October 2014 (VIS) - The Holy Father has appointed Rev. Jose
Joao dos Santos Marcos of the clergy of Lisbon, Portugal, as coadjutor of the
diocese of Beja (area 12,300, population 211,964, Catholics 175,946, priests
54, permanent deacons 10, religious 75), Portugal. The bishop-elect was born
in Monte Perobolso, Portugal in 1949 and was ordained a priest in 1974. He
studied at the Higher Institute of Theological Studies in Lisbon, and has
served in a number of pastoral roles, including parish priest of the Church of
"Sao Tiago" in Camarate and "Nossa Senhora da Encarnacao" in Apelacao. He is
currently spiritual director of the Christ King major seminary (Olivais) of
the patriarchate of Lisbon, spiritual director in the "Redemptoris Mater"
seminary, Lisbon, member of the pastoral council of the patriarchate of
Lisbon, and canon of the Cathedral Chapter of Lisbon.

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