On board the flight to Canada for the “penitential pilgrimage,” Pope Francis remembered the day of grandparents and elderly people.
Newsroom (24/07/2022 12:15 PM, Gaudium Press) During the flight to Canada, Pope Francis recalled that the Church celebrates the day of grandparents and elderly people this Sunday.
Before addressing reporters, the Pope greeted grandparents and elderly people as he recalled the commemorative date this Sunday, July 24.
Greetings to grandparents and elderly people
“It is the feast of grandparents: grandfathers, grandmothers, who are those who have transmitted history, traditions, habits and many other values,” Francis said.
The Pope also greeted elderly priests and religious in a special way: “I would also like to remember as religious, elderly men and women religious, the ‘grandparents’ of the consecrated life: do not hide them, they are the wisdom of a religious family (…)”.
Grandparents’ World Day
The feast was instituted by Pope Francis in 2021, since grandparents are often forgotten. However, “they are the bond between generations, transmitting to young people the experience of life and the law,” the Pontiff said.
In the year 2022, the Church will celebrate the day of grandparents and elderly people for the second time. The date is commemorated on the fourth Sunday of July, days close to the feast of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, grandparents of Jesus Christ.
Trip to Canada
Pope Francis has undertaken his 37th apostolic journey and will visit Canada in a trip marked by a difficult context while seeking reconciliation between the Catholic Church and the country’s indigenous communities. (FM)
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
