Testimony of MARIA-SOFIA SOLI,

an elderly person who takes care of elderly people

and meets their needs and expectations.

Referring to the pandemic "which has seen many of us succumb, often in solitude, without the comfort of a hug, a last goodbye or the consolation of a blessing at a funeral ceremony.", Maria-Sofia invites not to "waste this crisis", to learn from it.

Far from thinking that "we are no longer useful to anyone", Maria-Sofia affirms that the elderly have to live, in the words of Pope Francis,"a renewed vocation...: to safeguard the heritage, to transmit the faith to the young and to care for the little ones ". She goes on to quoting Pope Francis: " I recommend that you talk to young people, but not to give them a tongue-lashing, no: to listen to them, and then to plant some idea. This kind of dialogue is the future!"

Maria-Sofia denounces a system that claims that "what is given to us – resources, attention, care – is taken away from the young " because "our grandchildren are our truly great wealth "; it is therefore part of the dynamic of sharing and dialogue advocated by Pope Francis. As the latter proposes in his message, the elderly want to share their dreams with the young, transmit to them the memory "foundation of a house under construction" and devote time to prayer; prayer "for us, the elderly, can be our service to others"; it is to extend one's heart to the dimensions of the world and the trials that pass through it. It is like saying: “My thoughts are with you. I accompany you with my remembrance and prayers...”.