In his 1994 Letter to Families, Pope John Paul II stated that "only the truth will prepare you for a love which can be called 'fairest love.' The contemporary family, like families in every age, is searching for fairest love." Pope Benedict, too, has made the family a central theme of his pontificate. As recently as his message on the World Day of Peace on January 1, 2008, the Holy Father said that "The natural family, as an intimate communion of life and love, based on marriage between a man and a woman, constitutes "the primary place of 'humanization' for the person and society," and a "cradle of life and love.""

It is widely accepted, however, that the modern family is suffering a multi-dimensional crisis - economic, legal, political, demographic, biological, structural, cultural, and metaphysical. It is, therefore, fitting and timely to gather to together scholars to examine the family, its origins, its status in society and under civil law, to discuss the challenges the family faces in the modern world and to offer hope for the future of the family.

Our aim with this conference is to bring together a large number of respected scholars representing all the main academic fields, from Catholic, Christian, and secular institutions, to engage in a spirited discussion of the state of the family from the perspectives of philosophy, theology and religious studies, law, history, the social sciences, literature and the arts, as well as other fields of intellectual inquiry and endeavor.

This conference will also celebrate in a special way the anniversaries of two important papal documents. In 2008, Pope John Paul II's apostolic letter, Mulieris Dignitatem, will enjoy its 20th anniversary, and Pope Paul VI's encyclical, Humanae Vitae, will celebrate its 40th anniversary. A conference devoted to the family is a perfect opportunity to reflect on the importance of these two documents.

• Call for Papers
• Schedule (PDF)

• Invited Speakers