Pope Leo XIV has convened bishops from around the world for an October summit in Rome to address the global crisis in marriage, the Holy See confirmed.

The high-level meeting will bring together the presidents of bishops’ conferences to examine declining marriage rates, rising cohabitation and growing reluctance among young people to form families.

These are issues that the Pope has identified as a matter of urgent concern for both Church and society.

Meanwhile, the lead Irish Bishop on Marriage and the Family said the latest CSO data, showing fewer couples getting married in Ireland year-on-year, is a “worrying trend” and everyone, including policymakers in Government, “ought to be seriously concerned”.

Bishop Denis Nulty said marriage “is positively correlated with stability in families and that of wider society in general”.

He noted the work done by the Catholic Agency, Accord, to prepare couples for married life, but said more help is needed.

“No doubt but that the decline in marriage numbers is a policy area meriting immediate State intervention, and investment, in the interest of the common good.”