The International Day of Families is observed annually on 15 May. The theme for 2026 highlights the impact of social and economic inequalities on family life and child development.
The International Day of Families is marked under a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1993. The UN warns that many families face financial insecurity, limited access to essential services and difficulties in caring for children.
“Without adequate support, families with young children face higher risks of poverty, with lasting effects on children’s health, education and overall wellbeing.”
The organisation also emphasises the need for integrated social protection systems, including “child benefits, parental leave, affordable childcare and early education — to strengthen family resilience, reduce poverty and promote equal opportunities”.
Year dedicated to the pastoral care of the Christian family
Within the Romanian Orthodox Church, the year 2026 has been proclaimed the Solemn Year of the Pastoral Care of the Christian Family.
In the Act of Proclamation for the 2026 Solemn Year, the Holy Synod underlined the central role of the family in the life of both the Church and society:
“The proposal of the Chancellery of the Holy Synod was motivated by the importance of cultivating the Christian model of love, respect and mutual support between husband and wife, between parents and children.”
Throughout 2026, the Romanian Orthodox Church will organise practical activities, symposia, meetings, exhibitions, testimonies, and commemorations dedicated to various forms of pastoral care for the Christian family, in accordance with the solemn year’s framework programme.
The Church’s role in supporting families
In his homily at the proclamation of the 2026 Solemn Year, Patriarch Daniel highlighted the difficulties contemporary families face.
“In the present age, when the institution of the family faces multiple challenges, and the role of women in the Church and society requires deeper appreciation, it is necessary to underline that the family is the basic nucleus of the Christian community.”
“It is necessary for the Church to intensify its pastoral efforts in support of the Christian family, to develop counselling and support programmes for families in difficulty, to provide appropriate religious education for children and to promote the values of the witnessing Christian family,” Patriarch Daniel stressed.
The Romanian Orthodox Church also established the Sunday of the Christian Family in 2009, celebrated on the Sunday closest to 15 May and placed under the protection of the Holy Apostle Andronicus and his wife Junia.
Photo: Basilica.ro / Raluca-Emanuela Ene
