The Pope sees great risk for our time

VATICAN CITY (EFE).—Pope Francis defended yesterday that the elderly “should not be left alone, but should live with the family,” also to promote dialogue between generations, as he said in a meeting with thousands of grandparents and grandchildren that featured the music of the famous singer Al Bano.

“Sometimes we hear phrases like ‘think of yourself’ or ‘don’t depend on anyone.’ They are falsehoods that deceive people, making them believe that it is good not to depend on others, to act on their own, to live like islands,” lamented the Pontiff in the Paul VI Hall of the Vatican.

The Pontiff warned that these types of attitudes “only create a lot of loneliness.”

“As, for example, due to the throwaway culture, the elderly are left alone and must spend their last years of life away from home and their loved ones (…) They should not be left alone, they should live as a family, in a community, with everyone’s affection. And if they cannot live with the family, we must go see them and be close to them,” he asked.

Francisco pointed out that “our society is full of people specialized in many things, rich in knowledge, and with useful means for everyone,” but all of this is threatened by selfishness.

“If it is not shared, if each person thinks of himself, all the wealth will be lost, it will mean an impoverishment of humanity. And that is a great risk for our time. Fragmentation and selfishness,” she stressed.

For this reason, the Argentine Pope called to create a world in which “no one fears ending his days alone” not only promoting “assistance programs” but also “different projects of existence” that values ​​age as a “wealth for all.”

The elderly, he noted, “come from afar because they have lived many years and have much to teach”; for example, “how ugly war is.”

Francisco himself confessed to having learned that lesson from his Italian grandfather, who lived through World War I: “With his stories he made me understand that war is horrible, that it should never be done,” he said following remembering a song that was sung in the forehead.

The Pope, 87 years old, arrived at the Paul VI Hall walking on his own and not with the wheelchair he usually uses due to his knee problems, to participate in this intergenerational meeting promoted by the “Età Grande” Foundation.

Although he did use the chair to greet those present at the end of the hearing.

Waiting for him in the Vatican hall, in addition to thousands of grandparents and children, was the actor and comedian Lino Banfi, consecrated as the “grandfather of Italy” and who dedicated a few words to the Pope, declaring him “grandfather of the world.”

The event was also attended by the singer Al Bano, who at 80 years old performed some songs in the Paul VI Hall such as “Nel sole”, a cappella, “Nel perdono” and “Ave María”, before the Pope’s arrival. .

“We are diversely young,” he told the artist alongside Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life.