This is the second year that the US Embassy in the Holy See has celebrated Pride Month in June. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken issued a general permit for American diplomatic missions to fly the rainbow flag on the same flagpole as the American flag, thereby emphasizing support for LGBTQ rights, the American conservative portal Breitbart reports on the event .
"Today marks the beginning of Pride month. The United States respects and supports the equality and human dignity of all people, including the LGBTQ community,” the embassy tweeted.
Pope Francis encourages prayer for young men and women
Last year, Pope Francis tentatively offered an alternative, Christian message for June , urging Christians to pray for young men and women preparing for marriage during the month. On June 1, 2021, the Pope published a video in which he announced his prayer intention for the church for the month of June, "The beauty of marriage."
"Let us pray for the young people who are preparing for marriage with the support of the Christian community: may they grow in love, generosity, loyalty and patience. Is it true what some say that young people don't want to get married, especially in these hard times? Getting married and sharing life is a beautiful thing. It is a challenging, sometimes difficult, but worth the risk. And on this lifelong journey, the bride and groom are not alone: Jesus accompanies them," Pope Francis said in his video.
A conscious, lifelong decision from the heart
The head of the Catholic Church emphasized that marriage is not about a "party", but about commitment to a common life project. "Marriage is not just a 'social' act, but a vocation that comes from the heart, a conscious lifelong decision that requires special preparation," he said.
Since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has stood up for traditional man-woman marriage, stressing that marriage, which "the mystique of the complementarity of man and woman ," is under attack in the modern world.
The traditional marriage between a man and a woman is "questioned by the so-called gender ideology, however, the differences between men and women do not suggest 'opposition or subordination', but serve community and procreation, always in the image and likeness of God," the Pope said in June 2015 .
"The most convincing testimony of the blessing of Christian marriage is the good life of Christian spouses and families," the Pope said on another occasion, since marriage sanctified by God "preserves the bond between man and woman, which God has blessed since the creation of the world .
Source: hirado.hu
Photo: Twitter
