The Pope Who Advocated For Older Adults
- Elder Love USA
- 3 days ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
The passing of Pope Francis was a deeply sorrowful moment for Catholics around the world, particularly for the nearly six-in-ten Catholic older adults ages 50 and older in the United States.
Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis was a strong advocate for older adults, establishing the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which takes place every year on the fourth Sunday in July.
Here are some of excerpts from his messages.
Reflections on Aging
On February 7, Pope Francis wrote the preface for a book by Italian Cardinal Angelo Scola, titled "Awaiting a New Beginning: Reflections on Old Age." In his preface, the Pope shared profound insights into the nature of aging:
"It is true, one becomes old, but this is not the problem: the problem is how one becomes old. If we live this time of life as a grace, and not with resentment; if we accept the time (even a long one) in which we experience diminished strength, the increasing fatigue of the body, the reflexes no longer what they were in our youth — with a sense of gratitude and thankfulness — well then, old age too becomes an age of life which, as Romano Guardini taught us, is truly fruitful and capable of radiating goodness."
He also spoke about ageism, highlighting the negative cultural tendency to discard older individuals as irrelevant. He countered this view, saying:
“To say 'old' does not mean 'to be discarded,' as a degraded culture of waste sometimes leads us to think. Saying 'old' instead means saying experience, wisdom, knowledge, discernment, thoughtfulness, listening, slowness… Values of which we are in great need!"
The Challenges Older Adults Face Around The World
In his Fourth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, Pope Francis continued to address the struggles of older adults, particularly focusing on the loneliness older adults in poorer countries:
“All too often, loneliness is the bleak companion of our lives as elderly persons and grandparents.” "In many places, above all in the poorer countries, the elderly find themselves alone because their children are forced to emigrate.”
He also spoke about the difficulties faced by older adults in war-torn countries:
How many of the elderly are left alone because men – youths and adults – have been called to battle, and women, above all women with small children, have left the country in order to ensure safety for their children. In cities and villages devastated by war, many elderly people are left alone; they are the only signs of life in areas where abandonment and death seem to reign supreme.
While it may seem distant from our own experiences here in the U.S., Pope Francis highlighted a disturbing reality in some places, where older adults are accused of witchcraft.
He spoke of how in some communities, the elderly are blamed for misfortunes, seen as “sapping the vital energies of the young.”
In other parts of the world, we encounter a false belief, deeply rooted in certain local cultures, that causes hostility towards the elderly, who are suspected of using witchcraft to sap the vital energies of the young; when premature death or sickness, or any other misfortune strike the young, the guilt is laid at the door of some elderly person.
The Importance of Intergenerational Relationships
He has also spoken against the conflict between the old and the young in modern societies:
Yet if we think about it, this accusation that the elderly “rob the young of their future” is nowadays present everywhere. It appears under other guises even in the most advanced and modern societies. For example, there is now a widespread conviction that the elderly are burdening the young with the high cost of the social services that they require, and in this way are diverting resources from the development of the community and thus from the young. This is a distorted perception of reality. It assumes that the survival of the elderly puts that of the young at risk, that to favour the young, it is necessary to neglect or even suppress the elderly. Intergenerational conflict is a fallacy and the poisoned fruit of a culture of conflict. To set the young against the old is an unacceptable form of manipulation: “What is important is the unity of the different ages of life, which is the real point of reference for understanding and valuing human life in its entirety”
He has also touched on the power of intergenerational relationships, urging younger people to appreciate and learn from the elderly.
“The Lord trusts that young people, through their relationships with the elderly, will realize that they are called to cultivate memory and recognize the beauty of being part of a much larger history.”
Pope Francis’ reflections on aging, caregiving, and the dignity of older adults continue to resonate with both Catholics and non-Catholics alike.
His call for compassion, intergenerational solidarity, and respect for the elderly is a timely reminder of the value that older adults bring to our lives and communities.
The quotes above are just a selection from Pope Francis' messages.
To explore his complete messages from the first to the fourth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, you can read them in full here: Pope Francis' Messages.
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This article is brought to you by Elder Love USA, a leading nonprofit provider of home care services in Riverside County, CA, San Diego County, CA, San Bernardino County, CA, Orange County, CA, Imperial County, CA, and Phoenix, AZ.
Our mission is to provide compassionate and affordable in-home care for older adults in need.
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