The vital contribution that families make to building strong communities was remembered on Sunday’s International Day of Families.

The Federation of Catholic Family Associations said the day was “a special occasion to say thank you to our families, to all its members”.

FAFCE President, Vincenzo Bassi added: “It is a precious moment to highlight the hidden and priceless work of many fathers and mothers and the contribution of our families and family networks to the social cohesion of our communities. Public policies should recognise that”.

He said it is crucial to recall in these terrible times of war in our continent that “to work for the family is to work for peace and reiterates its commitment to be a tool of peace”.

Looking ahead to the thirtieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family, 2024 (IYF+30), he said the focus on selected megatrends, including technological change, migration, urbanisation, demographic and climate change, “aims to facilitate the analysis of their impacts on family life and to recommend responsive family-oriented policies in order to harness the positive aspects of those trends and counteract their negative facets”.