Pope Francis has invited 6,000 grandparents and their grandchildren to a meeting at the Vatican on April 27 at 9:30am. This audience will be dedicated to the bond between grandparents and grandchildren and is titled “The caress and the smile.” The meeting aims to focus attention on the generations the Vatican says are the most in need of help: children and the elderly.
ABP. VINCENZO PAGLIA
President, Pontifical Academy for Life
Because these two generations, in their two extremes, are the two generations that cannot live without the help of others.
During the event, the challenges of today will be addressed and several grandparents and grandchildren will deliver testimonies. For example, to reflect on old age, a 90-year-old woman will tell how she fought loneliness by going to live in community with other elderly people.
MARIA SOFIA SOLI
Helping elderly people who are alone, keeping them company even if it is just a phone call, makes me feel that I am useful at my age. Sometimes we get carried away by melancholy, resentment and sadness.
We also feel the need to contribute to prevent this crisis from being wasted, to lead humanity to a better future, with less selfishness and confrontation.
In his messages on the elderly, Pope Francis has referred to them as “victims of the throwaway culture.” The goal of this initiative is to combat this culture.
PA
TR: AT
