Mags GarganPoverty, violence and changing social norms are causing the disintegration of the family structure across Latin America, church workers in the region said in advance of the October gathering of bishops in the Vatican to discuss pressures families face.
From liberalising marriage laws and persistent domestic violence to migration trends sending a record number of unaccompanied minors to the US border, the threats to families vary across the region.
"It is abundantly clear that the issues of contemporary family life and marriage deserve special attention from the Catholic Church and from society as a whole," said Archbishop Jose Ulloa Mendieta of Panama.
Family
In early August, Panama hosted a first-of-its-kind regional congress on family values. Attendees emerged from that conference pledging to strengthen the church's work in promoting the role of family in society.
The Panama meeting was seen as preparation for the Oct. 5-19 extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the family, a prelude to next year's worldwide Synod of Bishops on the family.