You are viewing an archived page on our old website. Click here to visit our new website.

Home | WFF History | Join/Donate | Current Voices | Liturgical Calendar | What's New | Affirmation | James Hitchcock's Column | Church Documents | Search |


Church Documents

This page contains Church documents -- from the popes, other offical documents of the Holy See, and the US Bishops -- of particular relevance to women and families. Additions to this section are made regularly. The lists below begin with the most recent document first. (Copyrights belong to the original copyright holders. All papal documents are copyrighted by the Libreria Editrice Vaticana)

Synod Propositions for the New Evangelization
Pope Benedict XVI received a document with 58 proposals from the Synod on the New Evangelization for the Christian Faith, which took place October 7-28, 2012. Though not yet official, Pope Benedict authorized the early release of the propositions by the Vatican Press Office on October 27. The list included proposals for action to aid the Church and individual Catholics in the mission of evangelizing the modern world.  Pope Benedict will review the propositions before drafting a final version. Propositions on Vatican website:  
http://en.radiovaticana.va/articolo.asp?c=633514

NOTE: For more documents on the Liturgy, go to Church documents section on Adoremus web site: http://www.adoremus.org

Papal Documents:Pope Benedict XVI - Pope John Paul II - Other Popes - The Holy See - Vatican II Documents - US Bishops

Papal Documents:

Pope Francis

Address to Pilgrimage of Families — Pope Francis, 2013

Prayer to the Holy Family for the Families of the World   — Pope Francis, 2013

EVANGELII GAUDIUM, APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION, November 24, 2013

Lumen Fidei, The Light of Faith, Encyclical, June 29, 2013

Pope Benedict XVI [related page: Benedict XVI]

Pope John Paul II

Other Popes

Documents, Statements of the Holy See:

Vatican II Documents

U.S. Bishops & Bishops' Conference Documents, Statements:

Bioethics Watch: The Distinction between Direct Abortion and Legitimate Medical Procedures — June 23, 2010 statement from US Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine

USCCB Meeting November 2009 (USCCB Site): Marriage Love and Life in the Divine Plan (USCCB Site)

Health Care Reform section of the USCCB web site: www.usccb.org/healthcare/.

US Bishops Roman Missal Formation site - http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/

(Click here for chronology of statements (with links) from Committee on Women, Laity, Family and Youth.)

8. In light of the Church's teaching about the truth and beauty of marriage, what should Catholics do?
There is to be no separation between one's faith and life in either public or private realms. All Catholics should act on their beliefs with a well-formed conscience based on Sacred Scripture and Tradition. They should be a community of conscience within society. By their voice and their vote, they should contribute to society's welfare and test its public life by the standards of right reason and Gospel truth. Responsible citizenship is a virtue. Participation in the political process is a moral obligation. This is particularly urgent in light of the need to defend marriage and to oppose the legalization of same-sex unions as marriages.

Married couples themselves, by the witness of their faithful, life-giving love, are the best advocates for marriage. By their example, they are the first teachers of the next generation about the dignity of marriage and the need to uphold it. As leaders of their family-which the Second Vatican Council called a "domestic Church" (Lumen Gentium, no. 11)-couples should bring their gifts as well as their needs to the larger Church. There, with the help of other couples and their pastors and collaborators, they can strengthen their commitment and sustain their sacrament over a lifetime.

Conclusion
Marriage is a basic human and social institution. Though it is regulated by civil laws and church laws, it did not originate from either the Church or state, but from God. Therefore, neither Church nor state can alter the basic meaning and structure of marriage.

Marriage, whose nature and purposes are established by God, can only be the union of a man and a woman and must remain such in law. In a manner unlike any other relationship, marriage makes a unique and irreplaceable contribution to the common good of society, especially through the procreation and education of children.

The union of husband and wife becomes, over a lifetime, a great good for themselves, their family, communities, and society. Marriage is a gift to be cherished and protected.


**Women for Faith & Family operates solely on your generous donations!

WFF is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations are tax deductible.


Voices copyright © 1999-Present Women for Faith & Family. All rights reserved.

PERMISSION GUIDELINES

All material on this web site is copyrighted and may not be copied or reproduced without prior written permission from Women for Faith & Family,except as specified below.

Personal use
Permission is granted to download and/or print out articles for personal use only.

Quotations
Brief quotations (ca 500 words) may be made from the material on this site, in accordance with the “fair use” provisions of copyright law, without prior permission. For these quotations proper attribution must be made of author and WFF + URL (i.e., “Women for Faith & Family – www.wf-f.org.)

Attribution
Generally, all signed articles or graphics must also have the permission of the author. If a text does not have an author byline, Women for Faith & Family should be listed as the author. For example: Women for Faith & Family (St Louis: Women for Faith & Family, 2005 + URL)

Link to Women for Faith & Family web site.
Other web sites are welcome to establish links to www.wf-f.org or to individual pages within our site.


Back to top -- Home
Women for Faith & Family
PO Box 300411
St. Louis, MO 63130

314-863-8385 Phone -- 314-863-5858 Fax -- Email

You are viewing an archived page on our old website. Click here to visit our new website.