Rediscovering fraternity, building bonds,
and living a day without loneliness
“The Holy Father emphasizes how – due to the crisis of communal belonging and the emergence of an increasingly individualistic mentality – the loneliness of the elderly is often not perceived as a problem. But the Church is called to build something different, to rediscover the taste for fraternity, and to build bonds between generations”.
– Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life
“Dear grandchildren, your grandparents are the memory of a world without memory, and “when a community loses its memory, it’s over. We must not lose our memory. Listen to your grandparents, especially when they teach you, with their love and with their witness, to cultivate the most important affections, which are not obtained by force, which do not appear through success, but which fill life.”
From “The Caress and the Smile”
Meeting of Pope Francis with grandparents, the elderly and grandchildren
27 April 2024
Read the Inspiring Words of Pope Francis:
The Message of Pope Francis for the Fourth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly
The Homily by Pope Francis for the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly 2023
Plenary Indulgence:
On Thursday, July 18, 2024, the Holy See published a Decree granting a Plenary Indulgence for those who take part in the celebrations of the Day or who visit the elderly alone.
Read the Decree
“Elderly people wear glasses — almost all of them — but they can see far. How come? They can see far because they have lived for many years, and they have many things to teach”
– Pope Francis, “The Caress and the Smile”
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