Statement by the Prefect Cardinal Kevin Farrell

15 February 2024 – This morning, the Holy See Press Office Bulletin announced the theme chosen by the Holy Father for the next World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, to be celebrated on 28 July 2024 in all dioceses around the world.

In this regard, the prefect of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, said:

“I am deeply grateful to the Holy Father for choosing as the theme for the Fourth World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly the verse from Psalm 71: ‘Do not cast me of in my old age’. It is the ‘prayer of an elderly person’, reminding us that loneliness is an unfortunately widespread reality that afflicts many elderly people, who are often victims of the throwaway culture and considered a burden on society.

Faced with this reality, families and the ecclesial community are called to be in the front line in promoting a culture of encounter, to create spaces for sharing, for listening, for offering support and affection: this is how the love of the Gospel is made tangible”.

Loneliness, of course, is also an irreducible condition of human existence, which manifests itself particularly in old age, but not only. This is why the prayer of the psalmist is the prayer of each one of us, the prayer of the heart of every Christian who turns to the Father and trusts in His comfort.

In this year dedicated to prayer, the celebration of the Fourth World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly takes on an even deeper and broader significance. It invites us to build, together - grandparents, grandchildren, young people, elderly, members of the same family - the wider 'we' of ecclesial communion. It is precisely this familiarity, rooted in God's love, that overcomes all forms of the culture of rejection and loneliness.

Our communities, with their tenderness and affectionate care that does not forget its most fragile members, are called to make manifest the love of God, who does not abandon anyone, ever”.

The Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life invites parishes, dioceses, associations and ecclesial communities all over the world to prepare for the Day spiritually and with pastoral initiatives.

In the coming months, a special pastoral preparation kit will be made available on the site www.laityfamilylife.va.

Further information:

Pamela Fabiano Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life

+3394034163

p.fabiano@laityfamilylife.va