Pope Leo XIV to open Vatican meeting on families marking 10 years of Amoris laetitia

Pope Leo XIV will open a meeting with the leaders of the Eastern Churches and the presidents of bishops' conferences on Wednesday, May 7. It was called to mark the 10th anniversary of the apostolic exhortation Amoris laetitia, issued by his predecessor Pope Francis. The meeting runs until May 14 in the Paul VI Hall and was presented on May 2 at a press conference at the Holy See Press Office.

Organizers expect 187 participants. They include 115 people from bishops' conferences, made up of 111 presidents and four delegates; 14 cardinals who head bishops' conferences; two representatives of bishops who do not belong to a bishops' conference; 15 members of Eastern Catholic Churches sui iuris; 22 guests of the pope; and 11 organizers. Eleven couples and families from five continents will also take part. Their names have not been released out of respect for their personal stories.

Aim: renewing pastoral care of families

Gabriella Gambino, undersecretary of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, said the central aim of the meeting is "to renew pastoral care with vigor and to involve families more and more in the life and mission of the Church." Jesuit Father Giacomo Costa, a consultor to the General Secretariat of the Synod, said the meeting should not be confused with a synod or read as a continuation of one. He described it instead as a chance to listen to the voice of the Church at a time of far-reaching change.

Pastoral urgency amid a global marriage crisis

Gambino said a process of listening and discernment is needed in response to the concerns bishops have raised during their ad limina visits about pastoral difficulties and the daily challenges families face. Figures presented at the press conference showed a wider cultural shift: in Poland, religious marriages have fallen 45 percent in the past five years, while in Australia the share of religious marriages fell from 88 percent in 1970 to 16 percent in 2024.

Gambino said the figures point to an urgent need to support couples in choosing marriage and to strengthen the handing on of the faith within families. She said pastoral care should begin before marriage and sustain people throughout their lives, especially in times of crisis.

Five themes

The meeting is built around five themes: the situation of families today, young people and their vocation to marriage, the first years of marriage, support in complex situations, and the role of Christian families in the mission of the Church. The format will combine dialogue with moments of prayer, alternating talks by families, bishops and experts with periods of speaking, listening and silence.

Orietta Rachele Grazioli, a professor of canon and comparative family law, will take part as an expert. She said many families show creativity in living out, in their own settings, the gifts received in the sacrament of marriage. The pope will open the proceedings after a meditation by Sister Helen Alford, president of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences.

Final report

A report will be drawn up at the end of the meeting. It is not intended as a new concluding document but as a summary to be discussed by the assembly and sent to the pope. The text will be released to the press, which will also receive updates on the proceedings.

The meeting will consider how families can remain places of evangelization despite the challenges they face, including wars, migration and health crises, and how to proclaim the Gospel to families and with families.