Matters India Reporter
Dublin, Ireland: Cardinal Oswald Gracias, the Archbishop of Bombay and the president of the Catholic
Bishops in India, will be one of the main celebrants and homilist during the forthcoming 9th World
Meeting of Families, to be held in Dublin, capital of Ireland, next month.

Cardinal Gracias, one of the advisors of Pope Francis, and Cardinal Gracias is the president of the
Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences, will speak on the topic “The Church as a family of families”
during the world event.

The 21-26 August events are promoted by the new Pontifical Council for the Laity, Family, and Life of the
Vatican. The World Meeting of Families is an initiative inaugurated by St. John Paul II in 1994, and since
then held every three years in different international seats.

The theme chosen for Dublin is “The Gospel of the Family: joy for the world.”

The World Meeting of Families in Dublin gains importance in the aftermath of two recent Synods on the
family (2014-15) and the apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (2016) of Pope Francis, families and
those who engage in “family” issues.

The event organizers are looking forward to this event which will give prominence to the Christian family
and its specific gift of being “joy for the world” and light in the challenges contemporary life poses.
In various panels and workshops, parents, family members, priests, bishops, cardinals, religious,
business leaders, industry experts will share a personal experience of issues that are a challenge in daily
family life. Majority of the speakers are lay speakers.

From Asia, among others Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, SDB, Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar will speak
on “Care for our Common Home: why the family matters to the future of our planet,” Rosa and Lauro
Cueto of Couples for Christ, Philippines on “Looking to Jesus: Presenting Commitment to Marriage as a
Path to Joy Today”, Prof. Gabriel Dy-Liacco, Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors,
Philippines, on “Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults,” Daniel and Shelley Ee of Worldwide
Marriage Encounter, Singapore on “When Plates Fly: Pope Francis on the Reality of Love in Family Life,”
and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Archbishop of Manila, Philippines on “Choose life: Pope Francis on the
‘throw-away’ culture” and “YOUCAT As a Resource of New Evangelization – To Rekindle Faith.”