VATICAN CITY - In a recent address, Pope Francis turned to the role of fathers, saying they play an irreplaceable role in family life, and their absence leaves children prey to false idols.
“When children feel neglected by fathers who focus only on their problems, on their work or their own personal realization, this creates a situation of orphans in the children and youth of today, who live disoriented, without the good example or prudent guidance of a father,” the pontiff said Jan. 28.
Pope Francis directed his words to pilgrims gathered in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall for his Wednesday general audience address.
His reflection follows an earlier general audience address on the role of mothers, in which he hailed motherhood as the “antidote to individualism.”
In today’s society, the word “father” is a reality understood throughout world and which transcends history, Pope Francis told the audience on Wednesday.
This word, he said, is the one “which Jesus taught us to call God, giving new depth and richness to the mystery of the intimacy of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, which is the center of our Christian faith.”
However, in modern times we frequently speak of a “society without fathers,” in which the crisis of fatherhood can lead one to associate the term with authoritarian and repressive tendencies, he said.
Children who feel “neglected” because their fathers focus too much on work, personal achievements or are constantly away from home are often left as “orphans” without guide, he said.
“Fathers are so necessary as examples and guides for our children in wisdom and virtue. Without father figures, young people often feel orphaned; left adrift at a critical moment in their growth and development,” the pontiff continued.
Pope Francis then recounted how he has often asked the fathers he encountered if they “had the courage and love” to play with their children and to spend time with them.
Rather than hearing a reassuring yes, often “the answer is ugly, eh? In the majority of cases it’s ‘I can’t, there’s too much work,’” he said, adding that it is the responsibility of Christian communities and civil society as a whole to find a remedy to the crisis of fatherhood.
The pontiff further drew attention to the temptation of some fathers to try and be their child’s friend more than their parent, saying that although being a friend and companion to one’s child is good, the role of the parent is essential.
“It’s true that you need to be the friend of your child, but without forgetting that you are a father, eh. If you are only there for your child as a friend, it won’t be good for them,” he cautioned.
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