Lisbon, Portugal—The fundamental importance of the family was the focus of a UPF-Portugal program celebrating International Day of Families 2016.
Nearly 25 persons attended the program, which was organized by UPF together with the Portuguese branch of Women's Federation for World Peace (WFWP), an affiliated organization, on May 15 at the UPF Peace Embassy.
The theme of the meeting was "The Visible and Invisible Threats to the Family in the 21st Century," which was also the title of the presentation given by UPF Portugal National Leader Sergio Vieira. His talk dealt with major changes in attitudes toward the family in the last few years, such as expanded rights for homosexuals; introducing sex education at an early age; lowering the age of sexual consent from 16 to 13 years; attempts to legalize pedophilia, making abortions easier to obtain; euthanasia for children; and the imposition of gender ideology, among other issues.
WFWP National Leader Marta Rodrigues gave a talk on "Family Values." She emphasized that when we seek to understand the Creator's vision for human nature, we can be clear as to what is healthy and not healthy in human society.
Sérgio Neto, national leader of Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (FFWPU), another affiliated organization, spoke on the topic "Human Family." Referring to the autobiography of UPF Founder Rev. Dr. Sun Myung Moon, he quoted Dr. Moon on the importance of family relationships as a starting point for resolving current global problems.
Mr. Liberto Silva gave a talk on character education, which UPF advocates. There was also a discussion about the next Sunhak Peace Prize, for which the Ambassadors for Peace were asked to suggest candidates.
The meeting ended with the appointment of two new Ambassadors for Peace, one of whom is also a singer and performed two songs.