In his apostolic exhortation Familiaris consortius, Pope St. John Paul II declared that the mission of the family is to:

• form a community of persons
• live that communion with fidelity
• reflect God’s love for humanity and Christ’s love for his bride the Church
• serve life by procreation (‘transmitting the divine image from person to person’)
• care for ‘the little ones’ in the family
• share goods, lives, joys and sorrows
• educate each other
• understand, forbear, pardon, reconcile
• practice hospitality, especially to the needy
• be dedicated to the good of society
• be a sign of unity and peace to our world
• share in the life and mission of the Church
• witness to the truth and evangelize the world

In Amoris Laetitia, Pope Francis wrote “The sacrament of marriage is not a social convention, an empty ritual or merely the outward sign of a commitment. The sacrament is a gift given for the sanctification and salvation of the spouses, since their mutual belonging is a real representation, through the sacramental sign, of the same relationship between Christ and the Church. The married couple are therefore a permanent reminder for the Church of what took place on the cross; they are for one another and for their children witnesses of the salvation in which they share through the sacrament.”

And in the first Latin American Congress meeting, he stated: "The family reflects the image of God, in his deepest mystery, and in this way allows you to see human love as a sign of God's love and presence (Lumen Fidei, 52). In the family, faith is mixed with maternal milk. For example, the simple and spontaneous gesture to ask for a blessing that is conserved in many of our peoples, encapsulates the biblical conviction that God's blessing is passed on from father to son."