Pope Francis defended this Saturday, in a meeting with thousands of grandparents and grandchildren, that the elderly “should not be left alone, but live in a family”, thus promoting dialogue between generations.
“We sometimes hear phrases like ‘think about yourself’ or ‘don’t depend on anyone’. These are falsehoods that deceive people, making them believe that it is good not to depend on others, to act on their own, to live like islands”, lamented the pontiff in the Paul VI Room, in the Vatican.
The Pope warned that such attitudes “only create a lot of loneliness.”
“For example, due to the throwaway culture, the elderly are left alone and have to spend the last years of their lives away from home and their loved ones (…) They should not be left alone, they should live with their family, in community, with everyone’s affection. And if they can’t live with their family, we should go to them and be close to them”, he asked.
And he continued: “our society is full of people specialized in many things, rich in knowledge and with useful resources for everyone”, but all of this is “threatened by selfishness”.
“If it is not shared, if everyone thinks about themselves, all wealth will be lost, this will mean an impoverishment of humanity. And this is a great risk for our time. Fragmentation and selfishness”, he highlighted.
Faced with this scenario, the Argentine Pope called for the creation of a world in which “no one is afraid to end their days alone”, not only promoting “assistance programs”, but also “different projects of existence” that value age as a “wealth for all”.
The elderly, he said, “come from far away because they have lived for many years and have a lot to teach”, such as “how ugly war is”.
Francisco himself confessed to having learned this lesson from his Italian grandfather, who lived through the First World War: “With his stories, he made me understand that war is horrible, that it should never be done”, he said, later recalling a song which was sung at the front.
The 87-year-old Pope arrived at the Paul VI Room alone and not in the wheelchair he usually uses due to his knee problems, to participate in this intergenerational meeting organized by the Età Grande Foundation.
However, he used the chair to greet those present at the end of the hearing.
In the Vatican room, in addition to thousands of grandparents and children, the actor and comedian Lino Banfi, renowned as the “grandfather of Italy” and who dedicated a few words to the pontiff, declaring him “grandfather of the world”, was waiting for him.
