Print
this page
Email
this page Newsletters - Family Breakdown
Editorial
Statistics on family breakdown are not hard to come by. The articles
in this newsletter tell of increased marriage and relationship breakdown,
more children on the streets, more despair fuelling alcohol and drug abuse.
Many refer to the root causes of poverty, the AIDS pandemic, and, of course,
war – as illustrated in the Family Network's last newsletter. But
the picture is not all bleak. An article from Canada points out that a
marriage breakdown may, in some cases, represent a new start, free from
hidden violence and abuse. Many of the articles tell of vigorous efforts
being made by churches and projects from all over the Anglican Communion
to help the casualties of family breakdown: the
street children, the children traumatised by the splitting up of their
parents, the parents who need help not to inflict more pain on themselves
and their families in the struggle of their divorce. The Gospel of hope,
redemption and reconciliation is behind the work of individual churches,
organisations such as The Mothers' Union, some professional lawyers and
probation officers and many individual Christians.
The Church can and must do much more to help prevent the terrible casualties
of family breakdown. ‘Family’ has meant different things to
different people and cultures. The Western nuclear family could well be
regarded as narrow by some cultures for whom the family unit includes other
relations – grandparents, cousins, uncles and aunts. As this newsletter
shows, both nuclear and extended families are suffering under a variety
of pressures. In a recent pastoral letter, the Bishop of The Highveld,
South Africa, stresses that our attitudes must change and we must adopt
a wider vision. He argues that "In these days ‘family’ must
embrace far more than our immediate circle of blood relatives." And
he points out the potential of the church community to be inclusive and
a source of strength to those affected by family breakdown. "How
far," he asks, "are parishes a true family – do they welcome
and embrace lone parents (through divorce or widowhood), single parents
(fathers or mothers) and single people without
children? … Families are meant to protect one another, to share
one another's joys and sorrows, fears and failures, to help and support
one another in times of crises, to relax and enjoy one another, celebrate
with one another."*
Such a vision of parishes throughout the Anglican Communion providing community support to those affected by family breakdown presents an important challenge.
*Extracts from Pastoral letter to the Parishes sent by Rt Rev David Beetge, Bishop of The Highveld, South Africa
Top
