In prayer with the Pope from all over the world

In preparation for the upcoming World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life is making a video available in which grandparents and the elderly from all over the world recite the official prayer for the event with the Pope. This includes Bishop Laurent Noël who, at 101 years old, is the oldest bishop in the world.

The prayer, along with the Holy Father's message and other pastoral resources, can be downloaded at https://bit.ly/elderly2021

In Rome, the Day will be celebrated with a Mass on Sunday, July 25 at 10 a.m. inside St. Peter’s Basilica. It will involve the participation of two thousand people of the Diocese and associations that carry out pastoral activities in favor of the elderly. Most of all these will include grandparents accompanied by their grandchildren, but, very importantly, there will also be several hundreds of elderly people who, for the first time, will be able to leave the homes in which they have been isolated for over a year, to participate. At the end of the celebration, the young people present in St. Peter’s will offer the grandparents and elderly who are present a flower with the Holy Father’s message: “I am with you always”.

The Day will be celebrated in dioceses and parishes all over the world as well, and the Dicastery is already receiving news of the many community initiatives.

The Dicastery invites everyone, especially younger people, to celebrate the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly by visiting their own grandparents or the elderly who are alone in their community even over the next few days. The visit - which automatically implies gaining plenary indulgence - can be an opportunity for delivering the Holy Father's message and reciting the prayer we are presenting today together.