Pope Francis said that Rome would still be the main location of the event and its corresponding conference and festival of families would be broadcast all over the world. But “during that same period, each diocese can be the focal point for a local meeting for its families and communities.”
“In this way, everyone will be able to participate, even those who cannot come to Rome,” he said.
On Friday, the Vatican and Diocese of Rome also unveiled the logo for the 2022 World Meeting of Families.
The logo, which depicts families in the bright colors of red, yellow, and blue, uses a thin line to depict the shape of Bernini’s famous colonnade encircling St. Peter’s Square.
The theme of the 2022 gathering will be “Family love: a vocation and a path to holiness.” The meeting’s official prayer was unveiled in April.
Pope Francis said that the upcoming World Meeting of Families “is a wonderful opportunity to devote ourselves with enthusiasm to family ministry with spouses, families, and pastors together.”
“Take courage, then, dear pastors and dear families, and help each other to organize meetings in the dioceses and parishes on every continent,” he urged.
The 10th World Meeting of Families will be held at the end of the Amoris Laetitia Family Year, which marks the fifth anniversary of Amoris laetitia, Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation on love in the family. The Year, which began on March 19, will last for 15 months, culminating with the gathering in Rome.
Pope John Paul II established the World Meeting of Families in 1994. It typically takes place every three years in a different country. The most recent meeting was held in Dublin, Ireland, in 2018.
The meeting is organized by the Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, together with the local diocese where it will take place.
