Pope Leo XIV hails the elderly as a “blessing” to the Church’s mission, urging intergenerational alliances amid societal divides.
Newsroom (03/10/2025, Gaudium Press ) Pope Leo XIV urged the Catholic Church on Friday to embrace the elderly not as a burden, but as vital contributors to its missionary mission, calling for deeper intergenerational bonds amid growing societal divides.
Speaking to participants at the Second International Congress on the Pastoral Care of the Elderly, underway in Rome through Sunday, the pontiff invoked the biblical theme of the gathering — “Your elders shall dream dreams!” — to highlight the spiritual riches older generations bring to the faith community.
Organized by the Vatican’s Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, the Oct. 2-4 congress draws clergy, pastoral workers and scholars to explore ways to support aging faithful in an era of extended lifespans.
In his remarks, delivered in the Vatican’s Synod Hall, Leo XIV echoed his predecessor Pope Francis’ vision of an “alliance” between the young and old, where seasoned lives guide those embarking on “the great adventure of life.”
Yet the pope acknowledged a stark generational rift in contemporary society, where the elderly often face blame for hogging jobs or draining resources that could benefit the young. “Such pessimistic attitudes treat longevity as if it ‘were a fault,’” he said, crediting advances in modern medicine for enabling longer lives worldwide.
Far from a liability, Leo XIV insisted, extended years represent “a gift, a blessing to be welcomed” and “one of the signs of hope in our time, everywhere in the world.”
This societal sidelining of the elderly, he argued, arises from a reluctance to confront human vulnerability. “The fragility that appears in the elderly reminds us of this common truth,” the pope said. “It is therefore hidden or removed by those who cultivate worldly illusions, so as not to have before their eyes the image of what we will inevitably become.”
Instead, he continued, the elderly serve as a profound reminder to the young that true fulfillment lies in acknowledging dependence on God and community. “The measure of our humanity is not given by what we can achieve, but by our ability to let ourselves be loved and, when necessary, even helped,” Leo XIV emphasized.
Turning personal, the pope admitted that old age can arrive unexpectedly, leaving many unprepared. He encouraged the elderly to draw wisdom from Scripture and the saints to navigate aging with Christian resilience, warding off despair.
To those ministering to seniors, Leo XIV pointed to a key resource: the “young elderly” — retirees with newfound time to lead parish initiatives and deepen prayer lives. “It is important to find an appropriate language and opportunities for them,” he said, stressing their role as “active subjects” in evangelization, not mere recipients. “Involving them… to respond together with them, and not in their place, to the questions that life and the Gospel pose to us.”
The pontiff also addressed a pastoral challenge: Many older adults have lapsed from faith or never encountered the Gospel. Regardless of age, he said, the Church must extend Christ’s salvation to them. In places where the elderly feel “alone and discarded,” ministers should deliver “the good news of the Lord’s tenderness, to overcome, together with them, the darkness of loneliness, the great enemy of the lives of the elderly.”
Leo XIV closed by challenging Church leaders to guide seniors toward rediscovering life’s purpose, fostering authentic bonds with God and empowering them as “missionaries of hope” in their own right.
“May no one be abandoned! May no one feel useless!” he implored. Even modest acts, like “a simple prayer, recited with faith at home,” he added, bolster the People of God and weave a tapestry of spiritual unity.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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