Romana

Maternity and Paternity: Complementary Vocations was the theme of the last conference on the family held at Thornycroft Hall Conference Center in Macclesfield, Manchester, on October 10.

Ruth Liley, founding member of the “Full-Time Mothers” organization, and Louise Kirk, British delegate to the congress of the Pontifical Council for the Family which took place in Rome in May, chaired the meeting in which some fifty people took part.

Mrs. Liley, a journalist now dedicated to her family, gave a presentation in which she discussed the basic reasons for a re-evaluation of the role of women as full-time mothers. Among other reasons she pointed out that the mother is the best person to look after her own children. She stressed the need to encourage a more positive attitude among the public to promote legislation that protects the nucleus of the family represented by the mother.

Louise Kirk commented on some of the ideas dealt with at the congress of the Pontifical Council for the Family, which was centered on the principle that all fatherhood comes from God. The congress discussed the role of the father in the family, and specifically looked at the differences between maternal and paternal affection.

These family conferences have been held twice a year since 1993. Their objective is to promote the dignity of marriage and the family and to make known the love and concern that the Church feels for the family unit.