The Value of Old Age in the Teaching of Pope Francis
The demographic changes taking place before our eyes regarding the structure of our society show that the proportion of older people is increasing quite rapidly. Very often these are people who want to be involved in the life of the family, society, and the Church, although their presence and involv...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
MDPI
2023
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| In: |
Religions
Year: 2023, Volume: 14, Issue: 12 |
| Further subjects: | B
Church
B Francis B Family B Faith B Society B Grandparents B Old Age |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | The demographic changes taking place before our eyes regarding the structure of our society show that the proportion of older people is increasing quite rapidly. Very often these are people who want to be involved in the life of the family, society, and the Church, although their presence and involvement is not always viewed positively by the younger generations. On the other hand, the time of old age is a difficult time with many challenges, such as loss of health, and consequently the elderly need the support of the younger generations. This reality is also recognised by Pope Francis, and it could be said that the problem of the elderly is close to his heart. An expression of the importance and value of older people is, for example, his frequent meetings with older people, the establishment of a World Day for Grandparents and Older Persons, or the series of catechesis on old age and the value of this time in people’s lives delivered in 2022. Taking into account these aspects of social change and based on the totality of Pope Francis’ teachings addressed to the elderly, we wish to highlight distinctive elements emphasising the value of the elderly in the life of the family, society, and the Church. Starting from the presentation of the family as the best and natural environment for living during the time of old age, these teachings highlight older people as “guardians” of roots and values, the importance of intergenerational dialogue and a type of “covenant of generations”, and the importance of older people in the life of the Church. An important element of Francis’ teachings on old age is to identify this period as a “time of grace”, a time of looking at life from the perspective of the years and trying to take stock of it, and a time of thanksgiving. All of this is done to emphasise the importance and value of the time of old age and to see and appreciate their presence in the life of the family, society, and the Church. |
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| ISSN: | 2077-1444 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Religions
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3390/rel14121463 |