By Deborah Castellano Lubov
Today, 28 Jul 2024, the Church commemorates the Fourth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, and the Holy Father has taken this to heart.
Following his Sunday Angelus address to the faithful gathered in St Peter’s Square, Pope Francis, who instituted the day in 2021, recalled the occasion, whose theme this year is “Do not cast me off in my old age” (cf. Psalm 71:9)
Cannot be abandoned
“Today we celebrate World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly,” the Pope remembered, saying we cannot grow accustomed to abandoning the elderly. For many elderly people in these summer days, he decried, “loneliness risks becoming a difficult burden to bear.”
“The Day calls us to listen to the voice of the elderly who say, “Do not abandon me!”, and to answer, “I will not abandon you!”
With this in mind, the Pope urged all faithful to work “to strengthen the alliance between grandparents and grandchildren, between young people and the elderly.”
A round of applause for all grandparents
“Let us say “no” to the loneliness of the elderly!” he appealed, noting, “Our future depends a great deal on how grandparents and grandchildren learn to live together.”
“Let us not forget the elderly!” the Pope exclaimed, adding: “And a round of applause for all the grandparents, all of them.”
Ahead of the Day, Pope Francis had issued a Message for the occasion, which can be read below in its entirety.
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