October 18. 2022
Sometimes, one can feel very lonely in our efforts to celebrate, promote, and defend the family. It can be intimidating when cancel culture comes stalking or peers point fingers of shame in our direction. But you, we, are not alone in this effort and, during the first weekend in October, we saw the strength of the profamily/prolife effort, firsthand, in Mexico City! United Families International was there in that beautiful city to participate in the World Congress of Families. This awe-inspiring event included:
- 8377 participants on site and another 2392 joining through streamed connections.
- 65 media outlets covered the event.
- And in social media, there have been over 4,402 comments, 13,838 shares 126,019 interactions, 281,355 video views, 67,752 accesses to the congress website and the reach of influencers who echoed was more than 18 million followers.
At a plenary session on the Expo Center’s main stage there in Mexico City, I was asked to present as part of a panel to discuss the United Nations and its impact on families. Joining me were Grace Melton, of Heritage Foundation, Sharon Slater, of Family Watch International, UFI’s Marcia Barlow (representing the UN NGO Committee on the Family), and Valerie Huber, former United States Special Representative for Global Women’s Health and president of the Institute for Women’s Health. The panel was moderated by Doug Clark, Policy Director at International Organization for the Family.
What is this World Congress of Families?
The World Congress of Families is a gathering of people from around the world, who have a desire to celebrate, promote and protect the family. Every few years since 1997, the World Congress of Families has taken place in various cities around the world. The Mexico City World Congress of Families, 2022, ended up having the largest attendance, ever.
Some of the distinguished guests included:
- Allan Carlson – John A. Howard Distinguished Fellow for Family and Religious Studies at the International Organization for the Family and Editor of The Natural Family: An International Journal of Research and Policy.
- Jim Daly – president of Focus on the Family – another highly influential pro-family group,
- Nicki and Sila Lee – authors of The Marriage Book and The Marriage Course that are helping and strengthening marriages and couples around the world.
- Callum Miller – Oxford medical school graduate, Oxford professor of philosophy, whose research focuses on abortion policy in practice and is well versed in the life discussion.
- Jason Evert – a counselor, world renown public speaker and co-founder of the Chastity Project,
- And many more individuals representing fabulous organizations and much effort for good in the world.
We were also honored to hear from high-level religious leaders from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Evangelicals, and the Catholic Church (the Pope even sent a personalized message which H.E. Cardinal Gerhard Müller shared during his address.) We also heard comments on the importance of the family from European Royalty, Princess Gloria of Thurn and Taxis.
As you can see, the World Congress of Families has been a force to unite individuals, organizations, and religious and political leaders. One point of interest, recently a video clip of Giorgia Meloni went viral on social media; Ms. Meloni, who is anticipated to be elected Italy’s new Prime Minister, delivered the remarks contained in that viral video at the 2019 World Congress of Families in Verona, Italy. You won’t want to miss this UFI blog post which gives some details of Ms. Meloni’s powerful speech.
It is rewarding and strengthening to know that so many individuals share a passion for protecting the family! Each of us, individually or as organizations, are needed. With our unique areas of focus and our individual voices and influence, we create a powerful wave that will continue to roll forward and positively impact the societies and nations of the world.
The Pro-Family Momentum
United Families International is working hard to keep that wave rolling forward. And, we want to assist you in finding your voice. Our HomeFront Project will empower you to speak knowledgeably and be a voice in your families and communities (check out the After the Meeting page in each of our Homefront Topic units for additional tips). If you’re looking for help to prepare your children to engage in some of the most controversial issues of our day, be sure to check out HomeFront Kids.
While you may feel cancel culture is hot on your heel and you’re nervous to open your mouth and engage, you can know that you are not alone in your desire to stand. The thousands of people who spent a weekend together in Mexico City, should give you a lot of comfort. You can also count on United Families. We will continue our efforts to represent you in the different international and domestic policy arenas – and we are here to help you find your voice, be it in the halls of the United Nations or at your local school. There’s never been a better, or more needful time, to get involved.
Standing for the family,
Wendy Wixom, President
United Families International