Vatican City, 06 November, 2021 / 11:30 am (ACI Africa).
Pope Francis on Saturday praised the worldwide Christian marriage ministry Retrouvaille for giving spouses the opportunity to overcome crises in their relationship and grow as a couple.
The pope met members of Retrouvaille at the Vatican Nov. 6. The lay-led ministry runs a Christian program to help struggling couples overcome difficulties and restore their marriage.
“Today there is a great need for people, for spouses who know how to testify that crisis is not a curse, it is part of the journey, and constitutes an opportunity,” Francis said.
He added that priests and bishops also need to show couples that the opportunity to grow and change exists even in the midst of difficult relational struggles.
The Retrouvaille program, which began in Quebec, Canada in 1977, is Catholic in origin, but serves couples of any faith. Today the volunteer ministry has communities in Canada, Central and South America, Africa, Europe, the Caribbean, and the United States.