The four-day conference at the Philadelphia Convention Center this week is expected to draw more than 17,000 attendees, a record for these triennial meetings.
Lost in the excitement of Pope Francis coming to Philadelphia is the very reason for his visit - to celebrate, pay homage to and proclaim the importance of the most basic unit of society - the family.
Ever since 1994, when Pope, now Saint, John Paul II hosted the first World Meeting of Families in Rome, it has provided a platform for families from around the globe to come together and share their thoughts on the Christian family's role in the church and society.
The four-day conference at the Philadelphia Convention Center this week is expected to draw more than 17,000 attendees, a record for these triennial meetings.
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Conference-goers can choose from more than a hundred motivational speakers on nearly 80 topics ranging from theological matters to such hot-button issues as divorce and domestic violence.
Some of these discussions are bound to be spirited. But since the speakers come with the church's imprimatur, expect the emphasis to follow traditional Catholic teachings.
Indeed, it is the Catholic Church's steadfast teachings on such issues as birth control, divorce, abortion, homosexuality, the role of women in the church and priest celibacy that have put the church in the United States very much on the defensive.
A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that roughly half or more of U.S. Catholics say that using contraceptives, living with a romantic partner outside of marriage and remarrying after a divorce without an annulment are not sins. And about 4-in-10 say homosexual behavior is not a sin.
These are all issues that have a direct bearing on the modern family and the church hierarchy has to deal with them. If the pope and the bishops stay the course, you can expect fewer and fewer people in the pews at Sunday Mass.
But this charismatic pope may make a difference. Where hard-line conservative churchmen have preached fire and brimstone and strict adherence to church doctrine, Francis has tempered doctrine with mercy. As he famously replied when asked about homosexuality: "Who am I to judge them if they're seeking the Lord in good faith?"
As the name implies, the Catholic Church sees its role as a universal one - to preach the gospel to all peoples and all nations. However, the church in America has a different outlook than in Africa or Asia, where other issues such as poverty and the vestiges of colonialism are more pressing.
This World Meeting of Families provides an opportunity for people from diverse backgrounds to celebrate their diversity, and bond in a spirit of brotherhood.
For no matter what the issues are, the family still plays a critical role in any society in any country. The Catholic Church realizes this as do other faiths. By focusing on the importance of family, this pope hopes to nurture a spirit of love, and that is a goal all faiths can endorse.