The Elderly at the Roots of all Peoples

“You who have gone through so many seasons are the living testimony of constancy in adversity, but also of the gift of prophecy that reminds the young generations that the care and protection of the ones who preceded them are gratifying and appreciated by God, and that they cry out to God when they are disregarded.”

When Pope Francis spoke these words last September 24th, he was speaking to the elderly audience in front of him in the Cathedral of Saint James in Riga (Republic of Latvia). But he was also speaking to the elderly of the whole world, in view of the international day dedicated to them on October 1st. “You that have spent yourselves, body and soul, that have given your life in the pursuit of freedom for your country, are now often left feeling that you have been forgotten. Although it sounds paradoxical in today’s world, in the name of freedom, free people subject the elderly to solitude, ostracism, lack of resources, esclusion and even misery. […] You that have gone through many seasons, never forget that you are the roots of a people.”