(Vatican Radio) “The quality of a society, I would say of a civilization, is judged by how well older people are treated and the place reserved for them in community life. Whoever makes room for the elderly makes room for life! Whoever welcomes the elderly welcomes life! ", affirmed Pope Benedict XVI during a visit Monday morning to the Community of Sant'Egidio home for the elderly on the Janiculum Hill, Rome.
Emer McCarthy reports:
The Holy Father was warmly welcomed by the residents and he began by addressing them as his “peers”. Referring to the current European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations, the Pope said that "the elderly are a value to society, especially for young people. There can be no true human growth and education without a fertile contact with the elderly, because their very existence is like an open book in which the younger generation can find valuable guidance for life’s journey".
However he noted “often society, dominated by the logic of efficiency and profit, does not accept it as such, and indeed often rejects it, considering older people as unproductive, useless. Many times you hear the suffering of those who are marginalized and living far from home or in solitude. I think there should be a greater commitment, starting from families and public institutions, to ensure that older people can stay in their homes. The wisdom of life which they bear is a great wealth”
Despite this, the Pope said “even "when life becomes fragile, in old age, it never loses its value and dignity, each one of us, at any stage of existence, is wanted, loved by God, everyone is important and necessary".
"This phase of life – said Benedict XVI as he bid farewell - is also a gift to deepen our relationship with God. The example of Blessed John Paul II was and still is enlightening for everyone. Do not forget that among the valuable resources that you have is the essence of prayer: become intercessors with God, praying with faith and constancy. Pray for the Church, for me, for the needs of the world, for the poor, so that there may be no more in the world. The prayer of the elderly can protect the world, perhaps helping it in a more incisive way than the toil of many. Today I would like to entrust to your prayers the good of the Church and world peace. "