Vatican, July 13th, 2006

Madam, Sir,

Having been informed about the 10th international Gathering of Teams which will be held in Lourdes from the 16th to the 21st of next September, the Holy Father joins with all the members in thought and in prayer.

The chosen Theme for this Gathering : « Teams, living communities of couples, reflecting the love of Christ », invites the members of your movement to be fully aware of their religious and missionary responsibilities in todays world. The Pope encourages them therefore to continually become witnesses of the risen Christ, by allowing the grace to be signs of Christ’s love, that they have received in the Sacrament of Marriage, to shine through their life as a couple. May they contribute in that way to spread to today’s society the truth of the christian message on the family : this is an invitation to fully discover the dignity of the human being, created in the image of God, by living the joy of truly human relationships, because they were established on mutual love in the image of divine love! The Holy Father also invites Teams Members to become closer to people experiencing difficulties in their conjugal life or being confronted by its obvious failure, so that they can help them regain strength thanks to a friendly mutual help and rediscover the hope that does not disappoint us (Romans 5,5). May the example of the Virgin Mary who welcomed the gift of God unhesitatingly and gave herself wholly to her Lord, be for the members of Teams, a support and a guide through the joys as well as the difficulties of their daily endeavours!

Invoking the maternal protection of Our Lady of Lourdes upon the organizers and all the participants of this international Gathering, His Holiness grants them wholeheartedly a special apostolic Blessing, as well as to all the members of Teams, spread throughout the world.

Pleased to pass on to you, this message on behalf of the Holy Father, I remain yours faithfully, devoted in our Lord.