First international meeting by the Pope with the elderly & grandparents

by Gozo News · July 19, 2014

First international meeting by the Pope with the elderly & grandparents A reminder that during the first international day dedicated to old age, which is celebrated on the 28th of September, Pope Francis will meet elderly people and grandparents in St. Peter’s Square. The event has been organised by the Pontifical Council for the Family.

This special occasion will take the theme ‘The blessing of long life,’ and coincides with the Day of Prayer for the Synod on the family, it is inspired by the Pontiff’s many references to the situation experienced by the elderly and his frequent comments on the tragedy of the throwaway culture typical of a “population that does not care for its elderly” with attitudes “behind which there is a hidden euthanasia.”

The event is scheduled to begin around 9.00am in St. Peter’s Square and will culminate with a Holy Mass celebrated by the Pope at 10.30am.

The organisers said that it will be necessary to register in order to attend, and all information on the event will be available from the 14th of July on the website of the Pontifical Council for the Family (www.familia.va), who may be contacted via email at events@family.va or by sending a fax to the number 00390669887272.

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, President of the dicastery, presented the encounter as an opportunity to reaffirm that the elderly “are not merely the object of attention and care but rather the subjects of a new perspective of life.”

He added, “Thanks to God, our lives have become longer … but on the other hand, adequate reflection on this theme has not been developed. It exists neither in politics nor in the economy, nor even in culture. Therefore, old age must be rethought, and the commitment of the elderly in the world and in the Church must be reconsidered, as should the Church’s approach to them.”

The poster released for this special event shows the picture of an elderly man watching over a child, sleeping on his chest: the two faces represent the two poles of life, their proximity with the deep mystery of life, and the indispensable, fundamental task, that lies before the wrinkled face, furrowed by time and now full of wisdom, and he gifts to be transmitted to the soil that, on the contrary, is entirely helpless and uneducated: his nephew.

To reinforce even more the significance of the picture, a verse of Psalm 71:18 summarises, in a few lines, the noble task to which the old man is called: “So even to old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me, until I proclaim your might to all the generations to come.”

Nanniet Malta are organising a trip for this special occasion for Grandparents, the elderly and family members of all ages, from Malta and Gozo.

The details are as follows:

VISIT — ROME : THURS 25 TO MONDAY 29 SEPT 2014

Dept Malta 25 Sept 08.35: AIR MALTA FLIGHT KM612

Dept Rome 29 Sept 20.55: AIR MALTA FLIGHT KM615

SPECIAL GROUP RATES AVAILABLE FROM AIRMALTA FOR THE FIRST 10 RESERVATIONS THROUGH NANNIET MALTA

UNIQUE PRICE OF €350 Per Person for ALL 4 nights

PRICE INCLUDES:

* AIRFARE (MALTA-ROME-MALTA);

* ACCOMMODATION in DOUBLE ROOM on B&B basis & (ROME) TAX;

* AIRPORT TRANSFERS;

* TICKETS FOR AUDIENCE;