Addressing a UN meeting on aging, a leading Vatican diplomat called for “a truly inclusive society is one which welcomes the presence and perspectives of older persons as cherished members of the human family.”
Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, apostolic nuncio and Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, noted that the “manner in which cities and rural towns are built can facilitate or impede the ability of older persons to participate in community life.”
“The valuable contribution that older people can make, not only to their families but to society as a whole, should be recognized,” he continued. “When society offers suicide instead of compassionate accompaniment, the equal dignity of all persons at every stage of human life, until natural death, is ignored.”