Colloquium “Humanum: The Complementarity of Man and Woman” in Rome

Colloquium “Humanum: The Complementarity of Man and Woman” in Rome

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Pope Francis, on November 17th,  addressed a Colloquium being held on the theme “The Complementarity of Man and Woman in Marriage.”

The Holy Father began his address by dwelling on the word “complementarity”: “a precious word, with multiple meanings.” Although complementarity can refer “situations where one of two things adds to, completes, or fulfills a lack in the other” it also means much more than that. Christians, he said, “find its deepest meaning in the first Letter to the Corinthians where Saint Paul tells us that the Spirit has endowed each of us with different gifts so that-just as the human body’s members work together for the good of the whole-everyone’s gifts can work together for the benefit of each.” …

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The conference,”Humanum: The Complementarity of Man and Woman”, brings together religious leaders from different traditions to explore the anthropological reality of marriage, based on the complementarity of men and women. It is organized by four Vatican departments, led by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Some 300 participants are meeting November 17th through 19th in the Synod Hall at the Vatican. Speeches are interspersed with powerful videos that illustrate particular themes linked to marriage and family as a lived reality for most people across the planet.

In his short address opening the conference, Pope Francis described marriage as “a unique, natural, fundamental and beautiful good for persons, communities, and whole societies” and said children had a right to grow up with a father and a mother.

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Among those addressing the conference is the former Chief Rabbi of the UK and the Commonwealth, Jonathan Sacks, who noted that in Britain there will soon be more than 50% of all children born outside of marriage…. The result of the decline in stable, two parent families, Rabbi Sachs says, is a rise among young people in eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, depression, suicide attempts and other stress-related symptoms. Three million children are living in an affluent society in this new form of poverty of the single parent family and it’s women who are bearing the brunt because they are the heads of 92% of those families. …

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Rabbi Lord Sacks served as the chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth. He is currently the Ingeborg and Ira Rennert Global Distinguished Professor of Judaic Thought at New York University and the Kressel and Ephrat Family University Professor of Jewish Thought at Yeshiva University. He has also been appointed as Professor of Law, Ethics and the Bible at King’s College, London.

Rabbi Lord Sacks’ address received a standing ovation from the colloquium’s 350 participants. The FULL TEXT of his address can be found HERE.

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