Pope Francis has decided to organize a World Day celebration throughout the Church for grandparents and the elderly. From this year, it will be celebrated on the fourth Sunday in July, near the liturgical memorial of Saints Joachim and Anna, the grandparents of Jesus.
By Vatican News staff reporter
After Sunday’s angelus, Pope Francis announced the institution of World Grandparents’ and Elderly Day, which will take place every year on the fourth Sunday in July, near the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents. of Jesus.
Recalling the upcoming feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the temple – when the elders Simeon and Anna met the child Jesus and recognized him as the Messiah – Pope Francis said: “The Holy Spirit still provokes thoughts and words today of wisdom in the elders. “The voice of the elders” is beautiful, “he said,” because it sings the praises of God and preserves the roots of the peoples. “
The elderly, he continued, “remind us that old age is a gift and that grandparents are the link between the different generations, to transmit to young people the experience of life.”
The elderly should not be forgotten
The Holy Father said he instituted World Grandparents and Elderly Day because “grandparents often forget and we forget this wealth of preserving roots and transmitting” what the elders have received.
He stressed the importance of grandparents and grandchildren getting to know each other, because “as the prophet Joel says, grandparents see their grandchildren dream,” while “young people, taking strength from grandparents, will go ahead and prophesy.”
First fruits of the Amoris Laetitia Family Year
In a press release following the announcement, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, prefect of the Department for the Laity, Family and Life, the establishment of Grandparents and the Elderly Day “is the first fruit of the Amoris Family Year Laetitia, a gift for the whole Church family that is destined to continue into the future. “
He added: “The pastoral care of the elderly is a priority that can no longer be postponed by any Christian community. In the encyclical All brothers, the Holy Father reminds us that no one is saved alone. With this in mind, we must treasure the spiritual and human wealth that has been passed down from generation to generation. ”
The declaration of the Dicastery indicates that Pope Francis is expected to celebrate the first World Day by presiding over the Mass on Sunday 25 July in the evening in Sant Pere, subject to the health measures in force at that time. Closer to the day, the Dicastery “will announce new initiatives that will mark the event.”
Priorities for Pope Francis
Within the Dicastery for the laity, the family and life, Vittorio Scelzo participates in the pastoral care of the elderly. He points out that the celebration of World Day of the Grandparents and the Elderly is related to the Days established by Pope Francis for the Word of God and for the Poor. In an interview with Vatican News, Scelzo stressed that “the poor, the Bible and the elderly” are “three priorities” of Pope Francis’ pontificate, priorities that are intended “to mark the future of the Church.”
The gap between the elderly and the younger generations needs to be bridged, said Scelzo, who added: “The elderly are not saved by themselves. Unfortunately, we have seen during the pandemic how many elderly people were not saved. “Pope Francis wants to remind us that, in the same way,” young people, adults and our society cannot be saved without the elderly, “he said. Scelzo noted that intergenerational dialogue is essential: “To get out of the crisis better and not worse, each society must agree on its roots and develop a new synthesis of its values, also based on dialogue. with the elderly “.
The dreams of the elderly
Scelzo continued: “The opposite of the culture of discarding is precisely the pastoral care of the elderly: to place the elderly at the center of the life of our communities every day. Not just in emergencies, not just when it’s too late to realize. “
The elders “are trees that always bear fruit and people who continue to dream.” Therefore, young people need to “dialogue with the dreams of the elderly.” Scelzo recalls that this is a message often repeated by Pope Francis. “The dreams of the elderly have built our society; for example, I am thinking of Europe, a world without war anymore ”. The encyclical All brothers it is full “of this dream of a world without war.” It is the dream that “our elders, our grandparents after World War II” had.
“Perhaps,” concludes Vittorio Scelzo, “we need to dialogue with these dreams” to “understand what dreams should be for the future of our society.”