The following is the Letter, sent on behalf of the Holy Father by Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin, to His Eminence Cardinal Kevin J. Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, on the occasion of the meeting on the pastoral care of the elderly, taking place today in Rome, at the Palazzo di San Calisto, on the theme: “A bridge towards heaven: the magisterium of fragility in a time of strength”.
Letter
Your Most Reverend Excellency,
In the name of the Holy Father, and in my own, I am pleased to extend a warm greeting to you and to the group of experts convened by the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life to reflect on pastoral care for the elderly, and in particular on the theme “A bridge towards heaven: the magisterium of fragility in a time of strength”.
In today’s society, old age is a complex season rich in possibilities, and for the Church, which has always recognized the elderly as a significant presence, this initiative is certainly of great significance.
Today, in many parts of the world, seniors often still have plenty of energy to devote to serving the community. This is evidenced by the various forms of voluntary work, which are fundamental in so many areas of ecclesial life.
Beyond this, however, old age calls into question a deeper and more important aspect of Christian life: that of the value of weakness (cf. 2 Cor 12:10).
The rise in people’s average life expectancy entails, in fact, a prolongation of the frail stage of old age, and this poses the challenge of reflecting on the meaning of this season of existence. What value should we attribute to the many years a man or woman may live in a state of physical or mental frailty? What is the Christian perspective through which to live this time? How can we proclaim that human life always retains, in all its stages, its “infinite dignity”?[1] The reflection that you are beginning today, through your work, can help to answer these and other questions that appeal to our responsibility.
The Holy Father Leo XIV has remarked that fragility is “part of the marvel of creation” [2]. It therefore has a spiritual and community value, reminding us that we are dependent on each other and in need of God.
Pope Francis spoke of it as a “magisterium” [3], which has a lot to teach humanity in our time. The elderly, in the serene acceptance of the limits linked to the passing of the years, without hiding them or being ashamed of them, can be teachers of life, capable of showing everyone — and especially young people — that the value of a life is not measured by efficiency or self-sufficiency, but by the capacity to love and to allow oneself to be loved, to give and to receive.
Old age, then, is characterized as a time of grace, to be lived in prayer, in service, in tenderness, in memory preserved and passed on: a blessing for generations to come. This makes fragility a theological reality,[4] in the words of Saint Paul: “God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong […] therefore, as it is written, Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord” (1 Cor 1:27, 31).
The society in which we live is dominated by the logic of performance and competition, so that strength is is conceived as a display of power and tends to degenerate into abuse of power. We see this on the international stage, where, tragically, war has once again become a widespread strategic tool. [5] But we also notice it in the ordinary details of daily life, in the way we relate to one another. Indeed, in our daily lives, we increasingly encounter signs of a mindset that confuses strength with arrogance and meekness with weakness.
Faced with these attitudes, the Church continues to propose the Gospel message: that which proclaims blessed the meek and humble of heart (cf. Mt 5:5; 11:29), and which promotes an unarmed and disarming peace [6], recognizing in God the Father of all and in others not enemies, but brothers and sisters. The elderly members of our communities are, through their life experience and wisdom, the first and most authoritative witnesses to this Christian vision of humanity.
I therefore convey the best wishes of His Holiness, that your work may help to foster, towards the elderly and the blessed time of old age, renewed attitudes of respect, gratitude and esteem, and to reawaken in those of advanced years the responsibility to pass on sound and solid values to future generations. Invoking the maternal intercession of the Virgin Mary, he cordially imparts his Apostolic Blessing to you, to the organizers and to all those taking part in the event.
For my part, I wish every success for the initiative, and take this opportunity to confirm my highest regards
From the Vatican, 5 June 2026
to Your Eminence, most reverend and devoted in the Lord.
Pietro Card. Parolin
Secretary of State
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[1] Cf. Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Declaration Dignitas Infinita, 2 April 2024, 1.
[2] Leo XIV, Homily at the Holy Mass for the Jubilee of Young People, Tor Vergata, 3 August 2025.
[3] Cf. Francis, General Audience, 1 June 2022.
[4] Cf. Francis, Address to Priests of the College of San Luigi dei Francesi, 7 June 2021.
[5] Cf. Leo XIV, Address to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, 9 January 2026.
[6] Cf. Leo XIV, Message for the 69th World Day of Peace, 1 January 2026.
