Seoul (AsiaNews) – Building family unity through real communication, rediscovering forgiveness and reconciliation, emphasising unity and love.  These, according to the Korean Church, are the “ingredients” which can save the family “school of life and mission for every Christian”.

Paul Hwang Cheol-soo, President of the CBCK Committee for Family Pastoral Ministry, issued this message for the 7th Week for Sanctification of the Family, which takes place on December 30th the feast of the Holy Family.

In his message the bishop says : “When we have dialogue and pray for the unity and love of family members, the will of God can be done in our family as in Heaven: making the unity of family through dialogue can be an essential way to resolve the problems facing the family”.   We must do all we can, he continues “for the sanctification of the family and of daily life just as our Lord did, in his own life in the Holy Family”. Christ, continues Msgr. Hwang, “showed that the ordinary life in family is the most 'holy life. Pointing out family issues in our society, such as divorces, low birth rate, communication break-down among family members, and the increase of multi-cultural families, he emphasized that “Christian families should remain vigilant against the widening gaps between generations and between spouses and especially against the materialism invading the family”.  

Concluding the message, the Bishop said, "In the new year, all the families should always try to be aware of the responsibility to approach the full unity willed by God and make our family full of dialogue of love”.