Pope Francis recently addressed over 500,000 people at the opening of the 37^th National Convocation of the “Renewal of the Spirit” in Rome. Prior to giving his main address, Pope Francis heard and responded to a series of testimonies. One response given was directly addressed to families.

To Families:

Families are the domestic Church, where Jesus grows; he grows in the love of spouses, he grows in the lives of children. That is why the enemy so often attacks the family. The devil does not want the family; he tries to destroy it, to make sure that there is no love there. Married couples are sinners, like us all, but they want to go forward in faith, in fruitfulness, in their children and their children’s faith. May the Lord bless families and strengthen them in this time of crisis when the devil is seeking to destroy them.

Source: http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/speeches/2014/june/documents/papa-francesco_20140601_rinnovamento-spirito-santo.html