The richness of many years of life

Pope Francis loves the elderly and, from the beginning of his pontificate, and on numerous occasions, he has emphasized their indispensable role in dialogue with young people, in the transmission of the faith and in the youths’ rediscovery of their own roots.

Faced with the lengthening of the average life and the aging of the population, Pope Francis affirmed that "even Christian spirituality was caught a little by surprise" and hoped for a renewed ecclesial reflection on what he called the blessing of a long life.

The Holy Father has asked the elderly to become protagonists and “‘not to pull back the oars into the boat’. This period of life is different from the previous ones…we must therefore, also ‘invent it’ a little”.

The first International Conference on the pastoral care of the elderly "The richness of many years of life" is the response of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life to this calling of the Holy Father.

The meeting will focus on how to deal with the culture of discarding the elderly, their role in the family and their particular vocation in the Church. The Holy Father will receive the participants at a Special Audience. 

Representatives of Episcopal Conferences, religious congregations, associations and lay movements from around the world involved in the pastoral care of the elderly are invited to the congress.

Congress registration: bit.ly/congress-elderly

Info: events@laityfamilylife.va