TANZANIA: Three Major Threats to Marriage and Family Life that the Church must urgently address
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| Fr. Oskar Wermter, SJ, Pastoral Coordinator, IMBISA |
The changing
role of the women in society, migration of people in search of better
employment opportunities and the public opinion, propelled by the social media
are the three major threats to the marriage institution and family life that
the Catholic Church must pay close attention to and address; says Fr. Oskar
Wermter, SJ, Pastoral Coordinator of the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops
of Southern Africa, IMBISA.
role of the women in society, migration of people in search of better
employment opportunities and the public opinion, propelled by the social media
are the three major threats to the marriage institution and family life that
the Catholic Church must pay close attention to and address; says Fr. Oskar
Wermter, SJ, Pastoral Coordinator of the Inter-Regional Meeting of the Bishops
of Southern Africa, IMBISA.
Speaking to
AMECEA Online News in Dar-es-Salaam last week during the workshop organized by
AMECEA to revive the Council of the Laity for Eastern Africa (COLEA), Fr. Wermter
said that the Church is aware of great changes taking place in the social
sphere in the relationships between men and women.
AMECEA Online News in Dar-es-Salaam last week during the workshop organized by
AMECEA to revive the Council of the Laity for Eastern Africa (COLEA), Fr. Wermter
said that the Church is aware of great changes taking place in the social
sphere in the relationships between men and women.
“The role of
women has changed; women themselves are changing, they want their human dignity
to be recognized and they want to play a more responsible role both in families
and public life and men find it sometimes difficult to adapt to this new role
of women and the to the way women understand themselves,” he explained.
women has changed; women themselves are changing, they want their human dignity
to be recognized and they want to play a more responsible role both in families
and public life and men find it sometimes difficult to adapt to this new role
of women and the to the way women understand themselves,” he explained.
“Some women
go as far as rejecting marriage all together because they find many marriages oppressive;
some opt to raise children as single parents for fear of being disappointed by
the marriage institution; this kind of thinking is wide spreading; it is
something the Church should worry about; it is something that needs to be urgently
addressed.”
go as far as rejecting marriage all together because they find many marriages oppressive;
some opt to raise children as single parents for fear of being disappointed by
the marriage institution; this kind of thinking is wide spreading; it is
something the Church should worry about; it is something that needs to be urgently
addressed.”
The whole
question of migration, where by a spouse has to move abroad in search of employments
while leaving the rest of the family behind is another factor that is putting
lots of strain in many marriages and family life of which according to Fr. Wermter
the Church needs to intervene.
question of migration, where by a spouse has to move abroad in search of employments
while leaving the rest of the family behind is another factor that is putting
lots of strain in many marriages and family life of which according to Fr. Wermter
the Church needs to intervene.
“I come from
Zimbabwe, where three or four million of inhabitants are outside the country
because of economic difficulties, the economy is down, people don’t have work
especially the youth. There is no employment in the country and this is putting
stress on families, some of which end up breaking,” he explained.
Zimbabwe, where three or four million of inhabitants are outside the country
because of economic difficulties, the economy is down, people don’t have work
especially the youth. There is no employment in the country and this is putting
stress on families, some of which end up breaking,” he explained.
Finally the
messages we get from the media which forms public opinion in most cases is do
not favor marriage and family. “Young people are strongly influenced by the
internet, by what they get on social media. Often parents have great difficulty
passing on their faith to children because they are being educated by other
forces,” this Fr. Wermter says that puts a lot of strain on family
relationships and the church must find a way to address.
messages we get from the media which forms public opinion in most cases is do
not favor marriage and family. “Young people are strongly influenced by the
internet, by what they get on social media. Often parents have great difficulty
passing on their faith to children because they are being educated by other
forces,” this Fr. Wermter says that puts a lot of strain on family
relationships and the church must find a way to address.
The Church
has to make a huge effort to get its own message across, Fr. Wermter suggested
adding the Gospel of the family and the good news of the family is totally
positive and is very constructive and the Church must find a way to pass it
across.
has to make a huge effort to get its own message across, Fr. Wermter suggested
adding the Gospel of the family and the good news of the family is totally
positive and is very constructive and the Church must find a way to pass it
across.
Source: Pamela Adinda, AMECEA Social
Communication
Communication
