Pope Francis decided to institute a celebration throughout the Church for World Grandparents and Seniors Day. Starting this year, it will be held on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the liturgical memory of the saints Joaquim and Ana, grandparents of Jesus.
Vatican News staff reporter
After Sunday’s Angelus, Pope Francis announced the institution of World Grandparents ‘and Senior Citizens’ Day, which will take place every year on the fourth Sunday of July, next to the feast of St. Joaquim and Ana, the grandparents of Jesus.
Recalling the next feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple – when the elderly Simeon and Anna met the baby Jesus and recognized him as the Messiah – Pope Francis said: “The Holy Spirit still awakens thoughts and words of wisdom in the elderly today. “The voice of the elderly” is precious, “he said,” because it sings praises to God and preserves peoples’ roots. “
The elderly, he continued, “remind us that old age is a gift and that grandparents are the link between different generations, to transmit to young people the experience of life”.
The elderly should not be forgotten
The Holy Father said that he instituted World Grandparent and Elderly Day because “often grandparents are forgotten and we forget this wealth of preserving their roots and transmitting” what the elderly received.
He emphasized the importance of grandparents and grandchildren getting to know each other, because “as the prophet Joel says, grandparents seeing grandchildren’s dream”, while “young people, drawing strength from grandparents, will go ahead and prophesy”.
First fruits of the Amoris Laetitia Family Year
In a press release after the announcement, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, the institution of Grandparents and Elderly Day “is the first fruits of the Amoris Laetitia Family Year, a gift for all. Church that is destined to continue in the future. “
He added: “Pastoral care for the elderly is a priority that can no longer be postponed by any Christian community. In the encyclical Fratelli tutti, the Holy Father reminds us that no one is saved alone. With that in mind, we must value the spiritual and human wealth that has been passed down from generation to generation. “
The statement from the Department indicates that Pope Francis is expected to celebrate the first World Day by presiding at Mass on Sunday evening, July 25, in St. Peter’s Basilica, subject to the sanitary measures in force at the time. Closer to the Day, the Department “will announce other initiatives that will mark the event”.
Priorities for Pope Francis
In the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, Vittorio Scelzo is involved in the pastoral care of the elderly. He recalls that the celebration of World Grandparents and Elderly Day is linked to the Days established by Pope Francis for the Word of God and for the Poor. In an interview with Vatican News, Scelzo emphasized that “the poor, the Bible and the elderly” are “three priorities” of Pope Francis’ pontificate, priorities that are destined to “mark the future of the Church”.
It is necessary to bridge the gap between the elderly and the younger generations, said Scelzo, adding: “The elderly are not saved on their own. Unfortunately, during the pandemic, we saw how many elderly people were not saved. ”Pope Francis wants to remind us that, likewise,“ young people, adults and our society cannot be saved without the elderly, ”said Scelzo. He stressed that intergenerational dialogue is essential: “In order to get out of the crisis better and not get worse, each society needs to be reconciled with its roots and develop a new synthesis of its values, also from the dialogue with the elderly”.
The dreams of the elderly
Scelzo continued: “The opposite of the disposal culture is precisely the pastoral care of the elderly: placing 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 that. “
The elderly “are trees that always bear fruit and people who continue to dream”. Therefore, young people must be “put into 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 more war ”. The encyclical Tutti Fratelli it is full of “this dream of a world without war”. It is the dream that “our elders, our grandparents had after World War II”.
“Perhaps”, concludes Vittorio Scelzo, “we need to dialogue with these dreams” to “understand what dreams should be for the future of our society”.