While Obama Pushes Same-Sex Marriage, the International Pro-Family Movement Will Meet in Madrid to Educate and Affirm the Natural Family as the Future of Society
MADRID, Spain, May 21, 2012 /
Christian Newswire/ -- In less than a week, World Congress of Families VI will open in Madrid's Palacio de Congresos to affirm the natural family as the fundamental unit of society while President Barack Obama so-called same-sex marriage, including the endorsement by U.S. President Barack Obama.
The theme for WCF VI in Madrid, Spain (May 25-27) is "Marriage and Family, Future of Society." This theme reflects that there is no greater social indicator for the future success of our civilization than the strength of natural marriage and natural families in society. For example, decades of research indicates that natural marriage can reduce rates of poverty by over 80%.
"We had no idea when we began planning our sixth Congress over a year ago that it would come on the heels of an announcement by a U.S. president that he supports homosexual 'marriage,' based on spurious claims of equality and ignoring the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the rights of children to be raised by their biological mothers and fathers." said Larry Jacobs, World Congress of Families Managing Director.
In many ways, the timing is providential, Jacobs observed: "The Congress will open almost two weeks to the day after President Obama announced his repudiation of the Natural Family in Spain, a country, still recovering from 8 years of a socialist leader, Zapatero, who forced the legalization of same-sex marriage and abortion on the Spanish people who are overwhelmingly opposed. Just as our opponents have, advocates for the Natural Family must continue to organize internationally."
Speakers at the three-day Congress will include Cardinal Ennio Antonelli (President of the Pontifical Council on the Family) on "The Natural Family and the Revolution Against the Family," Rabbi Moshe Bendahan (Chief Rabbi of Spain) on "Family, the Future of Society," Erich W. Kopischke (Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) on "The Value of the Natural Family," Fr. Philaret Bulekov (delivering a message from Metropolitan Hilarion Alfeyev of the Russian Orthodox Church) and Dr. Paige Patterson (President of the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary).
Speeches by social scientists, authors, physicians and officeholders will touch on such varied topics as: the worldwide decline in fertility, how government policies impact on the family, the family and international law, contraception vs. natural family planning, the health effects of promiscuity and infidelity, family economics and social capital, rediscovering the role of homemaker, the culture of life versus the culture of death, fighting for freedom to educate, the social cost of pornography and sexual slavery, and family-friendly entertainment.
A plenary session on The Homosexual Lobby will include addresses on: "Solutions to Homosexual Behavior," "Violation of Rights of Conscience Today," "Effects of Social Experimentation and Same-Sex Adoption," and "Hate Speech Laws and Anti-Discrimination Measures to Marginalize Believers."
Jacobs noted that Christian Concern – a World Congress of Families Partner in the United Kingdom – has so far helped to collect over 516,000 signatures on its "Don't Play Politics with Marriage" petition to stop Prime Minister David Cameron's move to legalize homosexual "marriage" in Britain.
Christian Concern's "One Man and One Woman: Making The Case for Marriage Conference" was scheduled to take place at the Law Society in London on May 23. The Law Society banned the conference, claiming that a discussion of the need to preserve marriage violates its "diversity policy."
The conference has been rescheduled for the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, still on May 23.
"Just as the movement to de-construct marriage and the natural family are international in scope, so too must be our response," Jacobs declared. "World Congress of Families is uniting individuals across diverse faiths and cultures in support of institutions which serve as the bedrock of civilization. Article 16 (3) of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR ratified by all nations in 1948) states that, "The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State."
Pro-family leaders, scholars and activists from over 60 nations are expected to attend the Madrid Congress. Previous World Congresses of Families have been held in Prague (1997), Geneva (1999), Mexico City (2004), Warsaw (2007) and Amsterdam (2009). World Congress of Families VII is scheduled for Sydney, Australia in 2013.
Those interested in attending World Congress of Families VI in Madrid (May 25-27) can register online at
www.worldcongress.es.
The World Congress of Families (WCF) is an international network of pro-family organizations, scholars, leaders and inter-faith people of goodwill from more than 80 countries that seek to restore the natural family as the fundamental social unit and the 'seedbed' of civil society (as found in the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948). The WCF was founded in 1997 by Allan Carlson and is a project of The Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society in Rockford, Illinois. To date, there have been five World Congresses of Families – Prague (1997), Geneva (1999), Mexico City (2004), Warsaw, Poland (2007) and Amsterdam, The Netherlands (2009). World Congress of Families VI will be held in Madrid, Spain in May 25-27, 2012.
