Welcome speech by the President in Uganda

Madam President of Life Ascending Uganda
Members of the leading team
Ladies and gentlemen, members of Life Ascending Uganda
Ladies and gentlemen, friends or supporters of Life Ascending Uganda

Dear Margaret

It is a real pleasure for me to be among you; in my name and in that of Mgr. François Maupu, bishop emeritus of Verdun and ecclesiastical assistant of Life Ascending International, who accompanies me, I would like to tell you again how happy we are for this visit which allows us to get to know and discover the Ugandan Movement.

I celebrate this meeting by sharing with you some convictions

• First of all: the Movement that I chair and that you bring to life, here in Uganda as in other countries, Life Ascending, a movement of Catholic action, is not a simple association working in the service of the elderly; it is in the name of Christ that we gather, in the name of an incarnate Word that gives meaning to the life of each one; it is in the name of Christ, the source of life, that we have committed ourselves to this Movement....
• secondly: to be on the move it's constantly moving forward, it's moving out to sea, to bear witness to the love of Christ, braving the risk, like Peter who ended up throwing himself on the surface of the water at the invitation of Christ. Supported by our faith in Jesus Christ, let us have this courage in the face of difficulties, carried by our faith in Jesus Christ, let us have the audacity necessary to be truly leaven in the dough of the world and give a message of hope in these uncertain and difficult times. I must say that the initiatives taken here in Uganda testify to this desire to move forward; for some of our groups that are aging, while Life Ascending is a young movement, your dynamism brings great hope.

In addition to these convictions, this meeting also offers me the opportunity to remind you of the fundamentals of Life Ascending, namely the three "pillars" that founded our movement, friendship, spirituality and apostolate; in fifty years of existence, the content of these "pillars" has evolved but they continue to nourish the strength and richness of the Movement.

Indeed, Life Ascending wants to help its members to:

• live fraternally: Life Ascending is a place of friendship; we meet to live convivial moments; friendship, said St. John XXIII, is a form of charity. "And charity in action, fraternity, is a sign of authenticity of the communities of the disciples of Jesus Christ."
• deepen their faith and their spiritual life: Life Ascending offers the possibility of revitalizing or updating our Christian formation to respond as Christians to the challenges posed by the evolution of our society (in France currently the debate on euthanasia is revived); the incarnate Word that I mentioned above, inspires the spiritual life of Life Ascending’s members and makes them live strong moments of backand spiritual sharing.
• translate into concrete actions their commitment in society and the Church: each of you lives this commitment, according to your possibilities; each in your own way can respond to your mission of being a "missionary disciple" to use a formula of Pope Francis; here are a few lines of his message on the first World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly in July 2021: "The Lord sends the workers to his vineyard at every hour of life (Mt20:1-16) and every season of life I would like to tell you that we need you to build the world of tomorrow in fraternity and social friendship "

Thank you for your welcome, beautiful mass and fervent prayers for all Life Ascending members and elderly people from all over the world, like my mother who is 97 years old.