The bishops of Spain marked the upcoming Dec. 30 feast of the Holy Family by saying that the renewal of Europe can only come from respecting and honoring the family "as God intended it to be."

The bishops stressed that families must work for "just public policies that correspond to their rights, needs and hopes" and that address problems relating to housing, education and employment.

They also encouraged Christian communities, movements and associations "to be witnesses and spokesmen for the message and mission the Holy Father has left us: the family, the home, founded upon the gift that Christ the Spouse gives to the indissoluible spousal communion open to life is part of the hope for mankind."

The bishops underscored that the future of humanity and the Church "passes through the family" and that the family "is the place where Christ, true God and true man, was born, lived, grew up and died."

Families also reflect "on earth of the mystery of eternal Communion that He lives in the heart of the Most Holy Trinity," the bishops said.

"The family, in the image of the Trinity, is the origin of life and the place of communion where we discover, embrace, protect, reveal and communicate love," they added.

The Spanish bishops also noted that the family has a specific mission of "service to life" and that spouses are "apt for receiving the gift of life," which must be protected against many societal threats today.

Parents "are the primary ones responsible for the education of their children in order to introduce them slowly into the human family," the bishops said.

"Likewise, through the regeneration of baptism, a child is introduced into the family of God, which is the Church, and receives a new heart to live out love and forgiveness."

"Ultimately, the family "collaborates with Christ and the Church in the transmission of the faith and in Christian initiation," they said.