Pope Francis warned of “the cold war” in families and encouraged them to live peace and forgiveness. He delved into the subject during a Thursday visit to a condominium in the western area of ​​Rome, within the context of the “School of Prayer” initiative.

“Let us defend the family, which is oxygen to help children grow, although there are also storms within it,” the Holy Father said during a meeting with about 30 families from the parish of St. Brigid of Sweden in the Roman neighborhood of Palmarola.

“If parents fight it is normal, but we have the possibility of making peace before the end of the day, because the cold war that comes the day after is terrible,” Pope Francis warned.

At the meeting, which he attended accompanied by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization, the pope spoke and answered questions from parents, the elderly, children, and young people.

Pope Francis then encouraged the young people present to bear witness to the faith and reminded them that they have “the responsibility to move forward with history. One of the beautiful things about young people is that they get back up. We all fall in life, but the important thing is not to stay down.” 

After pointing out that the Church “begins to take shape in the community,” the Holy Father indicated that “a parish where children are not listened to and the elderly are canceled is not a true Christian community. Do not forget that the elderly are the memory and the children are the promise.”

When asked by two parents about how to maintain the faith of children, Pope Francis highlighted the importance of parents loving each other, because children must be able to “feel that mom and dad love each other very much. If you fight, don’t do it in front of the children."

The Holy Father also highlighted the importance of talking to your children: “Never stop talking to them. Education is done through dialogue; never leave them alone. Make them understand that they can talk about anything.”

Before leaving, Pope Francis gave away some rosaries and an image of the Virgin Mary with the Child Jesus.

What is the School of Prayer?

This was the Holy Father’s third event with the “School of Prayer,” an initiative promoted by the Vatican within the framework of this Year of Prayer and in preparation for the Jubilee 2025.

Through this project, Pope Francis will hold different meetings with various groups of people to pray together.

As Fisichella explained to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner, in January, these prayer meetings “will depend on the commitments of Pope Francis and will possibly include people and families from the Diocese of Rome.”

This article was originally published on Catholic News Agency.