Conflict between generations is based on “a fallacy and the poisoned fruit of a culture of conflict,” Pope Francis said in his statement for the Fourth World Day of Grandparents.
The Pope lamented the fact that many elderly people are lonely, neglected by their relatives, and even seen as a burden on society. He remarked that “this accusation that the elderly ‘rob the young of their future’ is nowadays present everywhere.”
To counteract that attitude the Pope offered the example of Ruth, who chose to remain with her mother-in-law Naomi, rather than return to her own people. “Ruth is not afraid to challenge customs and inbred patterns of thought,” he said.
The Day of Grandparents will be observed on July 28. The Pope’s statement was released by the Vatican on May 14.