Catholic bishops in Vietnam have launched a three-year action plan to help foster family values among young couples.
"To get married is a crucial decision. So careful preparations are needed for couples," the bishops said in an open letter issued at the end of their biannual assembly, which was held Oct. 3-7 in Ho Chi Minh City.
In reality, the bishops said that some youths only "pay attention to organizing big wedding parties and others who are busy doing daily work for a living spend little time making enough preparations for marriage life."
The bishops urged young couples to attend courses on marriage preparation so to discover the dignity and beauty of Christian marriage, the true meaning of sex, and the duties involved in building a new family.
They have asked parishes to create opportunities for young couples to discuss what they expect from marriage and their spouses, what problems they will face, and what love, marriage vows and duties to build a family are.
The bishop's plan — Preparations for Youths Entering Marriage Life, Journeying With Young Families and Journeying with Families with Problems — aims to respond to Pope Francis' apostolic exhortation on the family Amoris Laetitia.
The Vietnamese bishops will be attending the upcoming assembly of the Federation of Asian Bishop's Conference, which will focus on promoting family values. That event is scheduled to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka Nov. 28-Dec. 4.