According to the pontifical council, the existence of a permanent observatory would help nuclear families to rediscover their identity and to thrive in Europe.
«[The] observatory must be above all a service to the family and an effective instrument for the Church and for society,» said Bishop Karl Josef Romer, secretary of the pontifical council.
It would gather «all useful information for promoting respect for life and the family,» he added.
The observatory, whose headquarters could be located in a European Catholic university, would pursue theological and pastoral research and also assist politicians by «informing and forming them.»
The establishment of the observatory is one of the resolutions adopted by the pontifical council following the June meeting in Rome that gathered presidents of the European episcopal commissions for family and life.
