"The Church has in the elderly an army of witnesses of Faith"."If we really care about the elderly, we have to listen to them."Pope institutes the first World Day of the ElderlyToday, for the second year, the Church is celebrating the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly 2022 with the theme, "In old age you will still bear fruit". It has been preceded by several months of catechesis on old agePope Francis has developed in his Wednesday audiences, the elderly and the role of the family.
Scelzo also emphasizes in this interview that the elderly ask the Church, fundamentally "that they not be left alone, and the Church, especially with the magisterium of Pope Francis, is very clear: abandoning the elderly is a grave sin".
The Pope's message for this Day highlights a reality typical of the first world: the fear of old age. How does this affect us in the family, in the Church?
- The Pope speaks of the fear of aging. It is something we are all clearly aware of: we associate old age with the loss of autonomy, of health. It is often thought that growing old means in some way losing dignity because of the fragility we experience.
However, growing old - so the message goes - is a gift. After all, for centuries one of humanity's great goals has been to live a long time. Now that longer life has become a reality for many, our societies seem unprepared.
Aging is something new. It is the first time in history that growing old has become a mass phenomenon. We are not prepared and that is why the Pope devotes so much attention to the elderly: it is necessary to develop reflection on this age of life. It will be one of the most important challenges of the coming years.
The population, and therefore the members of the Church, in the West are mostly elderly. This is also a pastoral challengeHow can we involve the elderly in the work of the Church when they may not be in top shape?
- Often the elderly are involved, they are the ones who run our parishes, they are the protagonists of our commitment to charity. You only have to look around the Church to see that they are the most assiduous Mass attenders. But there is a challenge posed to us by those who are not at full strength.
Going back to the Gospel passage we heard last Sunday, I would say that we are challenged by Mary: to understand that being a Christian is not just running after the many things to do, but rediscovering the centrality of listening and prayer.
The Pope, in his message for the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderlyentrusts the task of prayer to the elders. It is not a residual commitment, the future of the Church and the world depends on it: Jewish tradition says that it is the prayer of the righteous that sustains the world.
At this time, it seems to me that perhaps the first pastoral urgency is to arouse prayer for peace in Ukraine, and the elderly, who know the horror of war, in this perspective, are not in the rearguard, but among the pioneers.
In a world where loneliness is increasingly present, especially in the elderly population, what do the elderly ask of the Church?
- Isolation is the great disease of the elderly and our society runs the risk of catching it. We are getting used to thinking that loneliness is normal and the pandemic has made it seem unavoidable.
But God - it is no coincidence that it is one of the first words in the Bible - does not want man to be alone.
The elderly ask not to be left alone, and the Church, especially with the magisterium of Pope Francis, is very clear: abandoning the elderly is a grave sin.
However, we see multiple manifestations of the throwaway culture, and unfortunately this also occurs within Christian families.
The Pope also encourages the elderly to be protagonists of the revolution of tenderness that the world needs. In this sense, how can tenderness and the teaching of responsibility be combined in the family?
- The Pope in his message associates the word tenderness with the no longer fashionable word revolution. I think he means that the behavior marked by this attitude should be the seed of a change in our cities.
He asks us to have for the poorest of the poor - he mentions in particular the refugees from the war in Ukraine and the others who stain our world with blood - a tender thought and a tender attitude.
The elderly can do a lot (we are witnessing a great movement of solidarity) not only from a practical and welcoming point of view, but they can help us to de-escalate the climate, to understand - as many of them have had to do - that we cannot save ourselves alone.
This is the magisterium of fragility of which the Pope spoke in one of the last Wednesday audiences: the wisdom of those who understand that they are not enough for themselves and the futility of opposition at all costs.
At the same time, and aware of all this, how can we encourage the new generations to participate actively in the Church and in society?
- The Pope speaks very often of a covenant between the generations. It has always struck me that the first time he spoke about older people was during World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro.
The question you ask is really very complex, but - surely - part of the answer lies in the rediscovery (or the construction) of a link between young and old. It is not just a nice idea: we know many experiences that tell us that the encounter between young and old is always a very rich experience for everyone.
In recent months we have heard the Pope not only talk about the elderly, but also address them, alluding to attitudes that hinder intergenerational coexistence. How can the Church promote this mutual understanding beyond a one-day visit?
- First of all, let's make this visit! The Pope writes in his message that a friendship is often born from a first visit. Taking a step towards others, especially towards the weakest, always has a value, and that is what we ask of everyone on World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly: let's visit an elderly person who is lonely! Especially in this time of sweltering heat, let no one live this day alone!
Then the Pope, with the concreteness that characterizes him, speaks to the elderly and not of the elderly because they are a large part of the laity. The elderly are many and will always be more numerous, how can we continue to ignore them?
