This day reminds us that families can take many forms. As society undergoes constant cultural, political and social change, so are families becoming increasingly diverse. The obligation to protect families, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, requires societies and States to recognize and respect that diversity. It requires them to help every family ensure the well-being and dignity of all its members, whatever their choices in life.

On this International Day of Families, let us pay particular attention to those families afflicted by poverty, displaced by war or ravaged by AIDS. Struggling to function even in the most basic way, these families need and must receive our help. Their fundamental rights, and thereby the integrity of the entire human family to which they belong, are at stake.