Thursday, 11 September 2014
Today and yesterday, a major pro-family conference entitled
International Forum ‘Large family and the future of humanity’ has been
held in the Kremlin, Moscow. SPUC staff, as well as many colleagues from
other pro-life/pro-family, are in Moscow, making a major contribution
to the conference:
- Maria Madise, SPUC's International, UN and Research Officer
- Pat Buckley, one of SPUC's representatives at the United Nations
- Dr Thomas Ward, founder and former President of the National Association of Catholic Families (NACF)
- Obianuju "Uju" Ekeocha, who runs Culture of Life Africa (COLA)
John-Henry Westen of LifeSiteNews.com, who is one of the keynote speakers,
reports that the conference has been attended by
"1,000
delegates from all over the world including over 200 from the West ...
Put on by the St. Andrew the First-Called and the St. Basil the Great
Foundations, the conference is sanctioned and supported by the federal
government."
Below is the statement issued before today's plenary session:
“Our
World is going through an epoch of instability and social crisis
closely inter-related with the global transformations in all key spheres
of human development and civilisation,” states the concept of the
International Forum for Large Family and the Future of Humanity, held in
Moscow, 10 and 11 September. An impressive document composed to define
the key principles of human existence and family that cannot change
continues:
The most important factor in this epoch is the
transformation of what it means to be a living, human being and to
experience human dignity as intended by the Creator.
[… H]uman beings created in the image of God are no longer … the conceptual and ethical center of the whole of Creation.
With the profound philosophical transformations of the human concept,
the historical foundations of civilized human life are now being forced
to change and the concept of the family is not an exception. According
to the overwhelming majority of people this modern-day ambiguity,
relativity, and indeterminacy regarding family, creates the threat to
the civilized existence of societies.
Only precise and
univalent definitions may permit us to understand that behind the fuzzy
explanations of modern humanism and jargon, there hides traits of
degradation and deception that would lead to the death of humanity. Only
truthful and accurate definitions contradicting the contemporary views
allow us to make the conclusion: our era is not so much about the family
crisis as the foundation of society, but the very idea of family.
Today, the meaning of family in the context of global ideological
competition from self-interested post-modern humanists and challenges to
ensure the survival and sovereignty of modern states grows to such an
extent that the protection of the classical notions of normative
behaviour, civilized man, the human family, and the definition of
marriage have to be enshrined in national constitutions.
Humanity must move forward into the future based on the understanding
that the natural family has been and remains the foundations of the
civilization; and the family was – and still is – and forever will be
the marriage between man and woman with many children.
***
The organising committee consists of Natalia Yakunina (Russia;
Chairwoman), Archpreist Dmitrtry Smirnov (Russia), Konstantin Malofeev
(Russia), Anatoly Antonov (Russia), Donald Feder (USA), Elena Mizulina
(Russia), Lawrence D. Jacobs (USA); advisory committee includes
Hilarion, (Chairman of the Department of exernal Church Relations,
Moscow Patriarchate), Francisco S. Tatad (Philippines), Thomas Ward (UK,
President of the National Association of Catholic Families), Sharon
Slater (USA, President of Family Watch International), Christine Vollmer
(Venezuela; President of Latin American Alliance of the Family),
Theresa Okafor (Nigeria; Director of Foundation for African Cultural
Heritage) and many others.
The keynote speakers:
Holy Patriarch Kirill (Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia)
Vladimir Yakunin (Russia)
Aymeric Chauprade (France)
Patrick Buckley (Ireland)
Obianuju Ekeocha (Nigeria/UK)
Radim Uchac (Czech Republic)
Archpriest Maxim Obukov (Russia)
John-Henry Westen (Canada)
And many others.
The first day of the Forum with grand artistic celebrations for the
family was held in the State Kremlin Palace. The plenary session and 10
roundtables today are taking place in the Cathedral of Christ the
Saviour.
