Intervention of Dr Scelzo

I would like to give you some information on the progress regarding the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, which will be celebrated this year for the first time on July 25 and illustrate the material that our Dicastery has made available starting from today. Starting at 12.00, on the website www.amorislaetitia.va you will find the Holy Father’s message for the Day, both in video and in a simple printable version to give to the elderly; there will also be a prayer written for the occasion, some pastoral suggestions on how to celebrate the Day, a liturgical aid and a collection of the Holy Father’s words on the elderly.

From the very beginning, we imagined a Day as wide-spread as possible to deliver the message to every grandparent and every elderly person, even to those most lonely. This year, we are also aware that many will still be unable to attend any type of public assembly due to the restrictions prompted by the pandemic. Moreover, even in places, such as Italy, where the health situation is improving and allow people to go to church, many elderly people are still scared or unable to do so.

For this reason, the Day will be an opportunity to experience a Church that goes forth. Let's imagine grandchildren who deliver the Holy Father’s message to their grandparents and that the children of our parishes and our ecclesial communities go out and go look for the elderly who live alone in their neighbourhoods to tell them “I am with you always”. It is no coincidence that the message was signed by the Holy Father on the day of the Visitation. That Gospel passage manifestly describes the evolution of the Day: a young woman who quickly goes to visit an elderly relative to show her she cares and help her concretely.

Joachim, Jesus' grandfather, who lived on the outskirts of town, also received a visit from an angel who told him that his prayer had been heard (this is the image we have chosen as the logo). Angels exist and our young people can become angels if they help the elderly to get out of isolation. The Pope describes loneliness as an obstacle, but we know that big obstacles can be overcome.

This is a gesture rooted in Christian tradition - so much so that two of the works of mercy are visits: one to the sick and one to prisoners - which today takes on further meaning. For over a year, meeting together has been nearly impossible. Going to see an elderly person alone is a way to regain a minimum of normality and to resist the idea that loneliness is one’s destiny. Clearly, we invite everyone to strictly respect the health provisions of each individual country, but in many places today meeting - with due caution - is possible, and we must not get used to the idea that being away from each other is normal.

During a grandchild’s visit to their grandparents and young people’s visits to elderly people who are alone, they can deliver the Pope's message or listen to the video. They can pray reciting the prayer prepared for the Day, and they can give them a flower or a small gift.

In Rome, on 25 July at 10.00, the Holy Father will celebrate a mass with the grandparents and the elderly of his diocese. A small number of people will participate, in compliance with the health provisions that will be in force at that time. Likewise, each diocese and each parish could dedicate one of the Sunday masses to the celebration of the Day. We suggest involving as many grandparents and elderly people as possible in person, so that their presence is a manifest sign of the importance they have in the community. Similarly - in the days before and after July 25th - Eucharistic celebrations or prayers can be organized in hospitals or homes for the elderly. Our desire is that all grandparents and all the elderly really participate in the Day.

The way in which each diocese or community will celebrate the Day will probably - and hopefully - be quite different and adapted to the pastoral needs of each context. In places where there is already a tradition in this sense, we invite you to keep it. A suggestion that we feel we can give is to dedicate a particular memory to the elderly who have died from Coronavirus. We all know how many people there were who left us without it being possible to even celebrate their funeral. A memory - perhaps by reading their names and lighting a candle - could be a precious gesture of reconciliation for every small community.

A little over a month separates us from the Day, a rather short time to start organizing the celebration. In a few days we will publish the video of the prayer recited by the Holy Father together with elders from all over the world (among them there is also the oldest bishop in the world who is 101 years old). In these days we will launch a social campaign and invite everyone - especially the younger people - to tell about the visits and initiatives that will develop using the hashtag #IamWithYouAlways.