er to dominate peoples.
66. The Universal Declaration warns about these deviations. It recognizes the right of a man and a woman to marry 55 and to found a family. In line with the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, Pope John Paul II recalled that the family is the "first and living cell of society".56 The Declaration emphasizes that this "fundamental and natural" 57 cell requires the protection not only of the State but also of society. Therefore, the Declaration promotes the development of the family in the midst of other communities, while stressing the unique character of this natural institution.
6.2. The Family, First Educator
67. The Declaration also recognizes the right to private property not only as individuals but also in association with others.58 It recognizes the right to religious freedom, including the right of believers to associate with others in worship and education.59 Lastly, the Declaration emphasizes the fact that parents have the right to choose and guide their children's education.60
68. In this regard, it is good to recall that the family's educational mission has its normal complement in the educational institutions. Parents "share their educational mission with other individuals or institutions, such as the Church and the State. But the mission of education must always be carried out in accordance with a proper application of the principle of subsidiarity".61 It should not be forgotten that "all other participants in the process of education are only able to carry out their responsibilities in the name of the parents, with their consent and, to a certain degree, with their authorization".62
69. Naturally, as many psycho-pedagogical studies indicate, a child's early years are decisive in the subsequent formation of its personality. Therefore, the fact that parents can entrust their children to educational institutions of their choice is not only of interest to the children but also to society.
70. Nonetheless, as the example of many countries indicates, including countries that are considered "developed", an effective means of destroying the family consists in depriving it of its educational function under the false pretext of giving all children equal opportunities. In this case, the "rights of children" are invoked against the rights of the family. The State often invades areas proper to the family in the name of democracy which ought to respect the principle of subsidiarity. We find ourselves before an omnipresent and arbitrary political power. The State or other institutions appropriate the right to speak on behalf of the children and remove them from the context of the family. As so many unfortunate past and present experiences reveal, the ideal for a dictatorship would be to have children without families. All attempts to substitute the family have failed.
6.3. Defend the Sovereignty of the Family
71. Today the family needs special protection by the public authorities. While the family has been oppressed by the State at times, now the family also finds itself exposed to attacks by private groups of non-governmental organizations, transnational bodies and public organizations. The State has the responsibility to defend the sovereignty of the family because it constitutes the fundamental nucleus of the social fabric.
72. Moreover, to defend the sovereignty of the family is to contribute to the sovereignty of nations. Today, in the name of ideologies of Malthusian, hedonist and utilitarian inspiration, the family is the victim of forms of aggression that go as far as to question its existence. The communications media propagate the total separation of the unitive and procreative purposes of the conjugal union 63 and trivialize multiple pre and para-marital sexual experiences, thereby weakening the family institution. In various countries, the average age at marriage has increased significantly as well as the age when women have their first child. The number of marriages that end in divorce has reached alarming proportions.64 The "broken and recomposed" families, for which children suffe