Pope Francis says "The young must talk to the elderly, and the elderly to the young. And this bridge will be the transmission of wisdom..." FULL TEXT + Video

POPE FRANCIS at the GENERAL AUDIENCE

Paul VI Audience Hall - Wednesday, 23 February 2022

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 Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

We have finished the catechesis on St Joseph. Today we begin a catechetical journey that seeks inspiration in the Word of God on the meaning and value of old age. Let us reflect on old age. For some decades now, this stage of life has concerned a veritable "new people", the elderly. There have never been so many of us in human history. The risk of being discarded is even more frequent: never have so many as now, been at risk of being discarded. The elderly are often seen as 'a burden'. In the dramatic first phase of the pandemic it was they who paid the highest price.

 

 They were already the weakest and most neglected group: we did not look at them too much when they were alive, we did not even see them die. I also found this Charter on the rights of the elderly and the duties of the community: this was edited by governments, it is not edited by the Church, it is a secular thing: it is good, it is interesting, to know that the elderly have rights. It will be good to read it.

Together with migration, old age is one of the most urgent issues facing the human family at this time. It is not just a question of quantitative change; the unity of the stages of life is at stake: that is, the real point of reference for understanding and appreciating human life in its entirety. We ask ourselves: is there friendship, is there cooperation between the different stages of life, or do separation and being discarded prevail? 

We all live in a present where children, young people, adults and the elderly coexist. But the proportion has changed: longevity has become mass and, in large parts of the world, childhood is distributed in small doses. We talked about the winter demographic as well. An imbalance that has many consequences. The dominant culture has as its sole model the young adult, i.e. a self-made individual who always remains young. But is it true that youth contains the full meaning of life, while old age simply represents its emptying and loss? Is that true? Only youth has the full meaning of life, and old age is the emptying of life, the loss of life? The exaltation of youth as the only age worthy of embodying the human ideal, coupled with contempt for old age as frailty, decay, disability, has been the dominant image of twentieth-century totalitarianism. Have we forgotten this? 

The lengthening of life has a structural impact on the history of individuals, families and societies. But we must ask ourselves: is its spiritual quality and its communal sense consistent with this fact? Perhaps the elderly need to apologize for their stubbornness in surviving at the expense of others? Or can they be honoured for the gifts they bring to everyone's sense of life? In fact, in the representation of the meaning of life - and precisely in so-called 'developed' cultures - old age has little incidence. Why? Because it is regarded as an age that has no special content to offer, nor meaning of its own to live. What is more, there is a lack of encouragement for people to seek them out, and a lack of education for the community to recognize them. In short, for an age that is now a decisive part of the community space and extends to a third of the entire life span, there are - at times - care plans, but not projects of existence. Care plans, yes; but not plans to live them to the full. And this is a void of thought, imagination and creativity. Underneath this thinking, what makes a vacuum is that the elderly, the elderly are waste material: in this culture of waste, the elderly are like waste material.

Youth is beautiful, but eternal youth is a very dangerous illusion. Being old is just as important - and beautiful - is equally important as being young. Let us remember this. The alliance between generations, which restores all ages of life to the human, is our lost gift and we have to get it back. It must be found, in this culture of waste and in this culture of productivity.

The Word of God has much to say about this covenant. Just now we heard the prophecy of Joel, the one who began today's Audience: "Your elders shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions" (3:1). It can be interpreted as follows: when the elderly resist the Spirit, burying their dreams in the past, the young can no longer see the things that must be done to open up the future. When, on the other hand, the old communicate their dreams, the young see clearly what they have to do. Young people who no longer question the dreams of the old, aiming headlong at visions that do not go beyond their noses, will struggle to carry their present and bear their future. If grandparents fall back on their melancholies, young people will look even more to their smartphones. The screen may stay on, but life will die out before its time. Isn't the most serious backlash of the pandemic precisely in the loss of the young? The old have resources of life already lived that they can call upon at any moment. Will they stand by and watch young people lose their vision, or will they accompany them by warming their dreams? Faced with the dreams of the old, what will the young do?

The wisdom of the long journey that accompanies old age to its close must be experienced as an offer of meaning to life, not consumed as the inertia of its survival. If old age is not restored to the dignity of a humanly worthy life, it is destined to close itself off in a despondency that robs everyone of love. This challenge of humanity and civilization requires our commitment and God's help. Let us ask the Holy Spirit. With these catecheses on old age, I would like to encourage everyone to invest their thoughts and affections in the gifts it brings and in the other stages of life. Old age is a gift for all stages of life. It is a gift of maturity, of wisdom. The Word of God will help us discern the meaning and value of old age; may the Holy Spirit grant us too the dreams and visions we need. 

And I would like to emphasize, as we heard in the prophecy of Joel at the beginning, that the important thing is not only that the elderly occupy the place of wisdom they have, of lived history in society, but also that there be a conversation, that they talk to the young. The young must talk to the elderly, and the elderly to the young. And this bridge will be the transmission of wisdom in humanity. I hope that these reflections will be of use to all of us, to carry forward this reality that the prophet Joel said, that in the dialogue between young and old, the old can provide dreams and the young can receive them and carry them forward. Let us not forget that in both family and social culture, the elderly are like the roots of the tree: they have all the history there, and the young are like the flowers and the fruit. If the juice does not come, if this 'drip' - let's say - does not come from the roots, they will never be able to flourish. Let us not forget the poem I have said many times: "All that the tree has that flourishes comes from what it has buried" ("... what the tree has that flourishes lives on what it has buried", Francisco Luis Bernárdez). Everything beautiful that a society has is related to the roots of the elderly. For this reason, in these catechesis, I would like the figure of the elderly person to come up, to understand well that the elderly person is not a waste material: he/she is a blessing for society. Thank you.

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Special Greetings

Greetings

Je suis heureux de saluer les pèlerins des pays francophones, particulièrement l'école Lacordaire de Marseille and les pèlerins du diocèse de Lyon. Invoquant l'Esprit Saint sur les familles, j'encourage chacun de vous à discerner le sens et la valeur de la vieillesse et à accueillir avec reconnaissance les personnes âgées, afin de recevoir leur témoignage de sagesse nécessaire aux jeunes générations. A vous tous, but Bénédiction!

[ I am pleased to greet the pilgrims from French-speaking countries, in particular the Lacordaire School of Marseille and the pilgrims from the diocese of Lyon. Invoking the Holy Spirit on families, I encourage each of you to discern the meaning and value of old age and to welcome the elderly with gratitude, to receive their witness of wisdom, necessary for the younger generations. To all of you, my Blessing! ]

I greet the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors taking part in today's Audience, especially the groups from England, Ireland and the United States of America. Upon all of you, and your families, I cordially invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you!

Einen herzlichen Gruß richte ich an die Pilger deutscher Sprache. Ich wünsche mir, dass familiärere Beziehungen zwischen die jungen und den älteren Menschen wachsen mögen, welche die gesamte Gesellschaft menschlicher machen. Der Heilige Geist begleite euch und eure Familien.

[ I warmly greet the German-speaking pilgrims. I hope that a more familiar relationship can grow between young people and the elderly to make the whole of society more human. May the Holy Spirit accompany you and your families. ]

I cordially greet los peregrinos de lengua española. Que la Palabra de Dios nos ayude to discern el valor de la vejez, y que el Espíritu Santo grant to each one of our nosotros los sueños y las visiones que necesitamos para que nuestra vida keep a profound Christian sentido. Dios los bendiga. Muchas gracias.

Queridos fiéis de língua portuguesa, seat bem-vindos! Com a minha saudação, deixo o convite a fazer-vos peregrinos em espírito à Cátedra do Apóstolo Pedro and com ele encontrar o Senhor Jesus que nos diz: Segue-me! Lembremos que Segu-Lo means sair de nós mesmos and communicar a vida a todos, concretely giving or nosso time to o avô, à avó, aos idosos. Sobre todos vós e as vossas famílias, I invoke alegria and paz do Senhor!

[ Dear Portuguese-speaking faithful, welcome! In greeting you, I leave the invitation to make you pilgrims in spirit to the Chair of the Apostle Peter and with him to rediscover the Lord Jesus who says to everyone: Follow me! We remember that following him means going out of ourselves and offering life for everyone: in a special way, giving time to grandfather, grandmother, the elderly. Upon all of you and your families I invoke the joy and peace of the Lord! ]

أُحَيِّي المؤمِنينَ الناطِقينَ باللغَةِ العربِيَّة. عندما يجتمع كبار السن والشباب معا, يحلم كبار السن أحلاما, ويحلمون في مستقبل الشباب, ويمكن للشباب أن يجمعوا هذه الأحلام, وأن يتنبأوا, ويسيروا بها إلى الأمام. - بارَكَكُم الرَّبُّ جَمِيعًا وَحَماكُم دائِمًا مِن كُلِّ شَرّ!

[ I greet the Arabic-speaking faithful. When the elderly and the young unite, the elderly dream, they dream of a future for the young; and young people can collect these dreams and prophesy, carry them forward. We ask the Holy Spirit to grant us the dreams and visions we need to build a better world. ]

Serdecznie pozdrawiam polskich pielgrzymów, a szczególnie studentów. Drodzy bracia i siostry, rozpoczynając cykl refleksji nad sensem i wartością starości, zachęcam was wszystkich, zwłaszcza młodych, do zaangażowania swoich myśli i uczuć w dary, które ona niesania kymzac iśkomą, iśk osobom w podeszłym wieku, aby uczyć się od nich życiowej mądrości i wspólnie tworzyć szczęśliwą przyszłość. Niech Bóg wam błogosławi!

[ I cordially greet the Polish pilgrims and in particular the students present here. Dear brothers and sisters, as I begin the cycle of reflections on the meaning and value of old age , I encourage all of you, especially the young, to invest your thoughts and affections on the gifts it brings, and to show respect and love every day. your grandparents, parents and all elderly people, to learn the wisdom of life from them and create a happy future together. God bless you! ]

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APPEAL

My heart aches greatly at the worsening situation in Ukraine. Despite the diplomatic efforts of the last few weeks, increasingly alarming scenarios are opening up. Like me, many people all over the world are feeling anguish and concern. Once again the peace of all is threatened by partisan interests. I would like to appeal to those with political responsibility to examine their consciences seriously before God, who is the God of peace and not of war; who is the Father of all, not just of some, who wants us to be brothers and not enemies. I pray that all the parties involved refrain from any action that would cause even more suffering to the people, destabilising coexistence between nations and bringing international law into disrepute.

And now I would like to appeal to everyone, believers and non-believers alike. Jesus taught us that the diabolical senselessness of violence is answered with God's weapons, with prayer and fasting. I invite everyone to make next 2 March, Ash Wednesday, a Day of Fasting for Peace. I encourage believers in a special way to dedicate themselves intensely to prayer and fasting on that day. May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war.