Church warns against erosion of family values

As the Syro-Malabar Church celebrates 2006 as the ''year of the family'', the Head of the Church Varkey Cardinal Vithayathil today warned the people against threats to family life, ranging from drug addiction and alcoholism to abortions, suicides and pre-marital and extra-marital relationships.

In a ''pastoral letter'' read out in nearly 3,000 churches all over India and one in Chicago during the Holy Mass, Cardinal Vithayathil said the ''''onslaught of the communication media and globalisation and the resulting distorted outlook on life and the culture of consumerism have affected our families very negatively and weakened family bonds.'''' Spokesman for the Syro-Malabar Church Fr Paul Thelakkat yesterday said here that the letter was addressed to the nearly 30 lakh strong congregation of the Church in India and abroad. The Syro-Malabar Church is a Catholic Church, affiliated to the Vatican.

Cardinal Vithayathil said on the one hand, the people were facing increasing unemployment, leading to migration to foreign countries, and on the other, they were falling prey to an ''''anti-life outlook'''', dominated by uncontrolled selfishness and pleasure seeking.

In this context, Cardinal Vithayathil, who is the Major Archbishop of Ernakulam-Angamaly, noted that in pursuit of their selfish joys, even those who could afford to bring up children, were opting not to have any.

''''Those who have the means should come forward to have more children and bring them up. Responsible fatherhood and motherhood demand this. The impact of a market mentality that has eaten into human relationships is visible on all levels of society,'''' he added.

The Archbishop also said that relationships outside marriage, the tendency to dissolve marriages even on flimsy grounds and entering into family life after having had pre-marital relationships, destroy the very foundations of family life and its flavour.

He also criticised the tendency to spend extravagantly to obtain prestige and positions in the society. Often, celebrations of marriage, betrothal, wedding anniversaries, birthdays, baptism and first holy communion were becoming celebrations of extravagance, he noted.

''''This is an indication of the wrong priorities of values. The hopeless debt trap into which many families have fallen after such celebrations is also a problem to be seriously considered,'''' he added.

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