By Devin Watkins
Archbishop Ettore Balestrero, the Holy See’s Permanent Observer to the UN in Geneva, has renewed the Catholic Church’s call for protection of the human rights of older persons.
Speaking at the 60th regular session of the Human Rights Council on Wednesday, the Apostolic Nuncio said societies around the world are not prepared to address coming demographic changes.
By 2030, he noted, around 1 in 6 people will be aged 60 or over, totaling 1.4 billion people, a figure that is expected to double by 2050.
Amid this shift, Archbishop Balestrero said the fragility and dignity of older persons must be cared for with proper respect and practical considerations, including their economic and social well-being.
“This demographic shift is also a moral test of how societies value and care for their elders,” he said.
As populations age, they must find ways to reallocate resources between supporting active citizens and assisting those in need, said the Archbishop, adding that this shift cannot come at the expense of elderly people.
Their dignity, he said, does not deteriorate with age or physical and mental deterioration.
“A person’s worth cannot be defined by youth, efficiency, physical vigor, or perfect health, because it lies in the unchanging truth that each person is created in the image and likeness of God, a fact that cannot be erased by time itself,” he said.
The papal representative at the UN in Geneva lamented “throw-away” policies that view the elderly as a burden on society, including efforts to legalize euthanasia or assisted suicide.
These policies, he said, foster “a culture of death” instead of respect for our elders.
Archbishop Balestrero urged nations to uphold the dignity of older persons through pensions, cash benefits, and health and social care services.
When older people need to remain in the workforce to maintain their livelihood, they should be afforded protection in the labour market to combat discrimination, he said.
“They are denied the rest they deserve and the opportunity to pass on their wisdom and advice to the younger generations, enabling them to face the future with hope and responsibility,” he said.
Women, in particular, should have equitable access to social protections and pensions to protect them in old age.
In conclusion, Archbishop Balestrero called for intergenerational solidarity so as to uphold robust social security systems, especially in support of the family where many elderly people find their only source of help.
The Holy See, he concluded, “calls for greater investment in social protection policies that support families, in order to strengthen and safeguard the family as the enduring foundation of human society.” – Vatican News
