The Elderly
The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life is busy building “a Church that challenges the throw-away culture with the overflowing joy of a new embrace between young and old!” (Pope Francis, General Audience, March 11, 2015).
For this reason, it fosters and supports the promotion of a pastoral care of the elderly that knows how to enhance their peculiar vocation in the Church, starting from the transmission of the faith to the youngest, from the preservation of their roots and from what can be considered the elderly’s very true specific mission: interceding in prayer.
In 2020, the Dicastery sponsored the 1st International Congress on the Pastoral Care of the Elderly entitled "The Richness of Many Years of Life," the proceedings of which were published in an e-book downloadable for free from this website.
Since 2021, the Dicastery has been promoting the celebration of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.
News
Elderly
Interview with Prefect Card. Farrell on the Conference which will bring together 550 participants from 60 countries
In the Church, the elderly have at times been forgotten, or considered somewhat of a burden, even while “they should be co-protagonists, by virtue of their immense experience, thanks to their many ...
Elderly
The message of the Holy Father to the National Association of Elderly Workers
“When the Pope speaks of the elderly, he speaks of the future and of their valuable role in the Church and in society. This affirms us in our choice to organize the first international conference on ...
Elderly
Message of Undersecretary Gambino to the pastoral care of families conference of Guatemala
“If we want to protect and defend life, we must protect the elderly and work together to create networks of presence and human and Christian solidarity around them. Caring for the elderly is caring ...
