VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Francis on Tuesday urged older people to view their advanced aging as a blessing, not a condemnation, as he himself struggles with a bad knee that has made walking nearly impossible.
Francis, 85, included himself among those addressed in his second message ahead of World Grandparents’ Day, which was released on Tuesday. He instituted the day, which is celebrated at the end of July, to express his belief that old people should be considered a resource for younger generations, not part of today’s “throw away culture.”
In the post, Francis noted that old age is a time of life that is not even understood “by those of us who already experience it”.
“Even though it eventually comes with the passage of time, no one prepares us for old age, and sometimes it seems to surprise us,” he wrote.
But he urged his fellow elders to embrace their old age as a gift of longevity, and not to complain about the diminution of their strengths or their sense of usefulness.
“Along with old age and white hair, God continues to give us the gift of life and make sure that we are not overcome by evil,” he said. “Aging is not a condemnation, but a blessing!”
Francis has been suffering from strained ligaments in his right knee for several months and recently said he can no longer walk and must rest on a doctor’s prescription.
He was first seen in public in a wheelchair last week, raising questions about his ability to negotiate an upcoming trip to Congo and South Sudan in early July. Just this week, the Lebanese government confirmed that a planned visit for next month had been postponed due to Francis’ health.
Francis concluded the message, noting that the war has returned to Europe, just as the generation that experienced the last war on the continent is dying out. He prayed that all the elderly would be made “craftsmen of the revolution of tenderness, so that together we can free the world from the specter of loneliness and the demon of war.”
