Pope Benedict XVI Praises Large Families

In honor of my brother Charles and his wife Betty, who are awaiting the birth of their 11th child, I post the following story that I found on www.LifeSite.com

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VATICAN, November 3, 2005 (CWNews.com/LifeSiteNews.com) - Large families need society's support, Pope Benedict XVI told his weekly audience on November 2. A large family, the Pope remarked, "constitutes a witness of faith, courage, and optimism." Moreover, large families provide wealth to society, "because without children there is no future!"

The Holy Father called for "adequate social and legislative" measures to support large families, repeating that they offer "richness and hope for the entire country."

The Pope's remarks were prompted by the presence of an Italian national family association at the Wednesday audience. He used the occasion to underline "the centrality of the family, the foundational cell of society and the first place where life is welcomed and served." He offered his special greetings to large families, and made a point, at the end of his audience, of meeting with a family that had 9 children.

In related news, Pope Benedict XVI's general prayer intention for the month of November is: "That married people may imitate the example of conjugal holiness shown by so many couples in the ordinary conditions of life."