Pope Francis has said that a global war on marriage is underway and that Catholics must help couples stay strong and provide pastoral care to those experiencing difficulty.

“Today there is a global war to destroy marriage,” the Pope said during a meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia, with priests, Religious, seminarians and lay people. “Today you do not destroy with weapons, you destroy with ideas. It is ideological colonisation that destroys.”

The way to strengthen marriages against the onslaught, he said, was to help couples “make peace as soon as possible, before the day ends, and don’t forget the three words: ‘May I?’ ‘Thank you’ and ‘Forgive me.’