On the margins of the "Wealth of the Years" Congress in Rome

Excerpts from the interview of Father Roman Chromy, spiritual advisor of LAI's Europe coordination, by a Polish Press Agency (KAI)

KAI: Can we talk about a common challenge for the Church related to the pastoral care of the elderly?

Father R.Ch.: it is clear that society is aging and that it is necessary to coordinate the pastoral care of the elderly. This is what the Pope himself asks and the expressions he uses are dear to me. He asks, among other things, to practice the "ministry of the ear” or to listen to what the People of God have to say today on a given subject.

In the context of the pastoral care of elders, I would also like to stress the need for a "pastoral care of open eyes and sensitive hearts." Older people are the social group that often seeks support, but also has extraordinary life and work experience. 

KAI: To what extent does the reflection on the pastoral care of elders concern the creation of a new reality, as older people are already in existing structures and communities?

Father R. Ch.: I think the purpose of such meetings is not to create new structures. Pope Francis does not expect this, but above all he calls us to a pastoral conversion, to a new openness to man, especially to those who call for help and ask for support. Pastoral conversion is perhaps nothing more than a new, thorough and more sensitive vision of one or the other group of faithful in the Church. That is how I see it in the context of seniors.

It cannot be said that elders do not have opportunities in the Church or that the Church offers them nothing. We know that the elderly are a treasure for every parish. But the concept of a parish from a global perspective is ambiguous. The parishes we know in Poland do not resemble, for example, those of Argentina, Brazil or Siberia, where they cover extremely large areas.  Societies around the world also face demographic, social and economic problems. For example, in African countries or South America, young people are increasingly moving to cities, leaving their multigenerational families, with older people tending to be left alone. It is in the context of these challenges that we must reflect on the tasks that the Church must face.

KAI: Even before the audience in which Pope Francis will send a message to the participants of the Congress, can you tell us if you are leaving here with any particular inspirations?

Father R. Ch.:  The Pope's call for a new evangelization. During the allocutions, there was much talk of sensitivity, which is a kind of duty for us believers, called to go to every man we meet, showing him with a testimony of life, the authentic image of God: a loving and merciful Father. This is especially important in the context of the elderly who bear the burden of a lifetime, sometimes illness, and who need human spiritual support as well as a renewed sacramental life.

KAI: Pope Francis also often speaks to young people about sensitivity to the elderly. For several years, he has been asking them to talk to their grandparents.

Father R. Chr. There is no doubt that the pastoral care of the elderly cannot exist alone. It is linked to other spheres of Church life and activity, for example to the pastoral care of families. The need for a horizontal view of the different pastoral fields and the words of Pope Francis encourage us to reflect, among other things, on the quality of intergenerational dialogue. I would use here the well-known image of the branch of the Gospel, which can only bear fruit if it is linked to its root. This image is extraordinarily strong.

The Holy Father returns to the theme of intergenerational dialogue also because the culture in which we live breaks with tradition and history, with a reference to the human wisdom of acquired life experiences. And yet one of the pillars of the life of the Church, in addition to the Holy Scriptures and the Magisterium, is Tradition, the repository of faith.

KAI: How do we respond to the pope's call?

Father R. Ch.: Pastoral opportunities are certainly the piety and commitment of many of our elders. I am convinced that in many parishes they constitute their "spiritual basis": when young people go to school in the morning and adults at work, the elderly, the retirees say the morning rosary in church and attend Mass. These are beautiful images of the life of the Church that must be shown to our faithful of different ages. We must not forget that each of us fulfils his apostolic role. 

Finally, I refer to the activities of the association for the elderly, Life Ascending International. These people need support, but they support each other and they are a real treasure for the younger generations. We must remind the faithful of these intergenerational relationships. Especially since in our parishes too, older people are increasingly feeling lonely or even rejected. The need to review our pastoral care for the elderly is necessary. This treatment will allow us to diagnose both the state of pastoral care that concerns them and what will need to be done to improve it in order to meet Pope Francis' request for attention to the elderly and to better value the"wealth of many years of life".

Translation from Polish to French by Monika Ptak, to English by Christian, to Spanish by Christian and Jaime