In the midst of this crowd in Bucharest, perhaps they went unnoticed by the majority present, but not by Pope Francis.
POPE FRANCIS
“There was an elderly woman, very old, a grandmother. She was holding her grandson, about two months old, no more. When I passed by, she showed him to me. She was smiling. It was a knowing smile, as if telling me, 'Look, now I can dream!'”
This grandmother is the woman Pope Francis is talking about. This picture was taken by a photographer because the pope was so struck by its symbolism.
Now it's the image Pope Francis gives to his guests as a gift, as he did with these Spanish cardinals.
CARD. CARLOS OSORO
Archbishop of Madrid, Spain
“It talks about the need to count on the elderly and on the future, and on how the elderly also contribute to building the future. This moment we're living makes us refer back to those with a story and also to those just barely starting that story. We have a responsibility to leave things in order for them.”
With the picture, the pope wants to remember once more the importance of inter-generational dialogue, of the reciprocal good done between grandparents and grandchildren.
POPE FRANCIS
“That's why I share this. Grandparents dream when their grandchildren succeed, and grandchildren are filled with courage when they take up their grandparents' roots.”
Many people attended this meeting for families in Romania on June 1, 2019. There were many grandmothers and mothers. However, the pope focused his gaze on this good-natured elderly woman, proud of her grandson, as a symbol for future generations.
