A Bond of Love and Prayer with the Elderly

‘Dear brothers and sisters! Today we celebrate the Fifth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, centred on the theme: “Blessed are those who have not lost hope.” At the end of yesterday's Sunday Angelus Prayer, 27 July 2025, Pope Leo XIV recalled the celebration of the Fifth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, established in 2021 by Pope Francis, and promoted annually by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life.

‘Let us look to our grandparents and the elderly as witnesses of hope,’ continued the Holy Father, ‘capable of showing the path for new generations.’ Finally, Pope Leo invited everyone to make concrete gestures to accompany the elderly: ‘Let us not leave them alone, but instead, form a bond of love and prayer with them.'

The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly is celebrated every year on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the liturgical memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus. To promote it, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life is making available to dioceses, parishes and ecclesial movements a kit with pastoral guidelines for celebrations in particular churches and residences for the elderly.

This year, on the occasion of the Jubilee of Hope, there is also a suggestion for a jubilee celebration to be held in places where the elderly live.