It is founded on the free and definitive commitment of the couple. I am not overlooking the fact that in their life together every couple experiences times of joy and times of trial, which conform their personal history to the Lord's paschal experience, an experience in which the suffering of Good Friday blends with the light of Easter morning. These times are necessary for the purification and maturation of love. You told me of your suffering and that of many of the people of your Dioceses over the new law on abortion, in regard to which some people have taken a courageous, prophetic stance. The Church is invited to manifest , in season and out of season, the greatness of every human life born of an act of responsible love, in which the couples are called by the Creator to cooperate in creation.
True happiness comes from the gift of life.
In your Dioceses there are men and women who seek to alleviate the suffering of those hurt by life and love, so that they may discover the tenderness of God which allows them to live in dignity. The priests seek to welcome the divorced and remarried in order to give them the opportunity to live out their baptismal life fully. A second union contradicts the nature of the sacrament of Matrimony, which signifies Christ's unfailing love for his Church. You should ensure that celebrations do not cause regrettable confusions for the couples involved, for their family circle, or for Christians in general. The phenomenon of immigration has at times been a painful experience for your compatriots.