Chile: Archbishop urges families to open themselves to the presence of God

The Archbishop of Concepción (Chile), Mons. Sergio Pérez de Arce, shared with the faithful of the archdiocese a reflection about the current situation of families in the country and the “big changes” in recent times.

Taking demographic data into account, the prelate observed that over the last 30 years, households have become smaller in number of members, and also a growth in the percentage of single-parent households.

Along these lines, he also warned of the “high presence of older people” in society, also taking into account that Chile “has the highest level of life expectancy in Latin America and the Caribbean.”

On the other hand, the migration phenomenon has caused an increase in immigrants, which translates into intercultural families, born from the union of Chileans with people of other nationalities,” he noted.

All this, Bishop Pérez de Arce emphasized, added to the “multiple cultural transformations” that influence the family.

The prelate emphasized couples who live together without a legalized relationship, many more than those who have formalized their relationship through marriage or a civil union agreement.

Likewise, he noted the large number of divorces and the tendency to live relationships with a “provisional nature,” which “is a feature of our culture,” he considered.

To the “list of changes,” Bishop Pérez de Arce added “the widespread insertion of women into the world of work; the transformations in communication modes; an understanding of freedom that does not favor ties, which focuses us more on what is ours and less on what is common; social conflicts and violence, which alter family life and impact their coexistence; and a long etcetera.”

Faced with this scenario that presents a “broad and complex reality, with its lights and shadows,” the pastor of Concepción considered that the Church cannot speak “theoretically, without taking into account the concrete situation of the various families.”

In that sense, he warned that “perhaps the greatest danger of the current reality is that people end up less supported in their lives by a family ‘structure’ and, therefore, become more alone.”

The main mission of the Church, he assumed, is “to propose the path of love as a stable bond with others, which frees us from a conception of affection in a mere narcissistic key.”

“In this context, it remains essential to propose marriage as a path of love and commitment or, at least, the importance of family relationships that last over time,” he stated. On the other hand, he considered it essential to “ask the State to promote policies that favor the family and not just the individual.”

Finally, he urged “not to forget the call to open ourselves to the presence of God, since his absence in our lives leaves us more alone in our difficulties and struggles.”

Family figures in Chile

According to the study “X-ray of families in Chile”published in 2022 by the Public Policy Observatory, in the last 25 years the percentage of two-parent households in Chile fell from 55.7% to 44.7%, while single-parent households increased from 6.9% in 1990 to 13.6% in 2015.

In 1990, the average number of people per household was 4 and in 2020, it dropped to 3.

The age group over 65 years old, according to the same study, grew from 6.6% in 1992 to 11.4% in 2017.

In Chile, life expectancy in 1992 was 74.1 years. In 2020, it rose to 80.8.

Regarding marriages, the decline has been sustained over the years: In 1990, 98,702 marriages were celebrated, and in 2020, 37,647.

Regarding divorces, the document indicates that in 2005 the figure was 1,179, while in 2021 there were 43,883.

The migrant population, for its part, has increased progressively in Chile: from 0.8% in 1992, it rose to 1.3% in 2002 and 4.4% in 2017. In 2017 there were 641,395 more migrants in the country than in 1992.

Between January and November 2021, 4,473 marriages were registered in Chile consisting of a Chilean person and one born outside the country.