Pope Francis Urges Filipino Families to Instill ‘Culture of Integrity’ Among the Youth

His Holiness Pope Francis encouraged families and local communities to develop a “culture of integrity” among the nation’s youth, given its fundamental role in the renewal of society.

“Families have an indispensable mission in society. It is in the family that children are trained in sound values, high ideals, and genuine concern for others. But, like all God’s gifts, the family can also be disfigured and destroyed. It needs our support,” Pope Francis said in a speech delivered in Malacañang on Friday, ahead of his meetings with Filipino families and the youth in Manila, among the highlights of his five-day state and apostolic visit.

The Pope expressed concern over some of the issues confronting democratic societies, urging all families to uphold the basic principles espoused by the Catholic Church by passing them on to the youth.

“We know how difficult it is for our democracies today to preserve and defend such basic human values as respect for the inviolable dignity of each human person, respect for the rights of conscience and religious freedom, and respect for the inalienable right to life, beginning with that of the unborn and extending to that of the elderly and infirm,” Pope Francis said.

“For this reason, families and local communities must be encouraged and assisted in their efforts to transmit to our young the values and the vision, which can help bring about a culture of integrity—a culture which honors goodness, truthfulness, fidelity, and solidarity as the firm foundation and the moral glue which holds society together,” he added.

Pope Francis met with a number of Filipino families on Friday afternoon after his engagements at the Palace and a Holy Mass at the Manila Cathedral in Intramuros, Manila.

On Sunday, January 18, the Pope will have a meeting with the youth, to be hosted by the University of Santo Tomas, the Philippines’ largest and oldest Catholic educational institution that has long-standing ties with the Holy See. PND (hdc)