Discarding elderly a ‘betrayal’ of humanity, pope says June 15, 2022By Junno Arocho Esteves Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, News, Respect Life, Seniors, Vatican, World News VATICAN CITY (CNS) — People have a responsibility to care for the elderly and cherish their wisdom rather than regard them as a burden on society, Pope Francis said. Instead of learning from older generations, those who ascribe to the throwaway culture prevalent in today’s world seek to “erase the elderly,” the pope said June 15 at his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square. “This is a betrayal of one’s humanity, this is the ugliest thing, this is selecting life according to one’s usefulness, according to one’s youth and not with life as it is, with the wisdom of the elderly, with the limitations of the elderly,” the 85-year-old pope said. “Elderly people have so much to give us because there is the wisdom of life,” he said. “They have so much to teach us. That is why we must also teach children to look after their grandparents and to go to their grandparents” for guidance. The pope continued his series of talks about old age and reflected on the Gospel account of Jesus’ healing of St. Peter’s mother-in-law. While the reading did not say if her illness was mild, the pope noted that “in old age, even a simple fever can be dangerous.” “When you are old, you are no longer in control of your body,” the pope said. “As old people, we cannot do what we did when we were young. The body has a different rhythm, and we must listen to the body and accept its limitations. We all have them. Even I must walk with a cane now.” For the elderly, he explained, illness can seem “to hasten death and diminish that time we have to live, which we already consider short.” However, Jesus’ visit to Peter’s mother-in-law, “together with the disciples,” is a reminder that Christians have a responsibility to care for the elderly in those moments of trial and suffering. “Jesus, when he sees the sick elderly woman, takes her by the hand and heals her by putting her back on her feet. Jesus, with this tender gesture of love, gives the first lesson to the disciples: salvation is announced or, better, communicated through the attention to that sick person,” he said. Departing from his prepared remarks, the pope said that the care of the elderly is “fundamental” for society, for the church and especially for future generations. “Where there is no dialogue between young and old, there is something missing and a generation grows up without a past, that is, without its roots,” he said. Pope Francis reminded Christians that the “spirit of intercession and service” taught by Jesus is meant to be followed by all and should not be relegated only to women. Nevertheless, “this does not detract from the fact that women, in the gratitude and tenderness of faith, can teach men things they find more difficult to understand.” He also urged Christians to bridge the gap between older and younger generations so that the elderly may pass on the “memory of life, the experience of life, the wisdom of life.” “In the measure that we can help young people and old people connect, there will be more hope for the future of our society,” the pope said. – – – Follow Arocho on Twitter: @arochoju Read More Vatican News Pope Leo XIV calls on Latin American bishops to lead from ground, not ‘behind a desk’ Pope Leo tells Special Olympics athletes they ‘remind everyone of the true values of life’ Pope Leo XIV to travel 19,000 miles on 14 flights during trip to Peru, Argentina, and Uruguay Lourdes fully covers Rupnik mosaics ahead of Pope Leo visit, citing care for abuse survivors Embrace ‘deep spiritual bonds’ between Jews and Catholics, says bishop in Yom Kippur message Priests, pastoral leaders have permission to do less, do it better, pope says Copyright © 2022 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Print
