Reflecting on the elderly is a service for the Church

Speech by Vittorio Scelzo at the meeting of the "Pastoral of the Elderly" of the Episcopal Conference of Colombia last August

"Your reflection on the role of the elderly in society and in the ecclesial community is a valuable service to the whole Church." In these terms, Vittorio Scelzo, head of the Dicastery section dedicated to the pastoral care of the elderly, addressed the participants at the meeting on the theme "TheTreasure of Old Age" organized by the Episcopal Conference of Colombia (CEC) held on 27 and 29 August in Bogota, in the presence of all the delegates and pastoral workers involved in the pastoral care of the elderly.

Dr. Scelzo reiterated how much Pope Francis emphasizes the value of the elders and the fact that Christian spirituality was caught unawares by the novelty of the presence of so many elders in the Church. "In this perspective," he added, "the value of your work is twofold: on the one hand, you show the elders that you meet the loving face of an outgoing Church and, on the other hand, you contribute to reflect on the vocation of the elders in the world. Church that the Holy Father asked us to initiate ".

During the opening session of the meeting, Msgr. Jaime Muñoz Pedroza, CEC delegate for the pastoral care of the elderly, said that it was necessary to "leave our parishes to find out how many elderly people live in our communities. and where they live. " For his part, Bishop Elkin Fernando Álvarez Botero, Secretary General of the CEC, emphasized the need to "globalize the pastoral care of the elderly in order to integrate it more and more with all the pastoral dynamics".

Page prepared by Susana