The following is the text of the Message sent by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on behalf of the Holy Father to the participants in the Tenth National Pilgrimage of Families for the Family, taking place today in Scafati and Pompeii, organised by Renewal in the Holy Spirit:

Message of the Holy Father

H.E. Rev. Msgr. Tommaso Caputo
Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of the Rosary in Pompeii

On the occasion of the tenth National Pilgrimage of Families for the Family, organised by Renewal in the Holy Spirit in collaboration with the Prelature of the Shrine of Pompeii, the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, the National Office for Family Pastoral Ministry of the Italian Episcopal Conference and the National Forum of Family Associations on the theme “The joy of love lived in the family is also the jubilee of the Church”, His Holiness addresses a cordial greeting to all participants, assuring them of his spiritual closeness.

He is pleased with this significant event, offered in preparation for the World Meeting of Families in 2018 in Dublin, and as he urges prayers for families in difficulty due to lack of employment, for those persecuted for their faith and for every family in a situation of suffering, he asks that you remember him in prayer and conveys his heartfelt apostolic blessing.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State of His Holiness

From the Vatican, 16 September 2017