Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

World

‘The elderly are not aliens’: Pope

-

Pope Francis urged his followers at his weekly prayer on Wednesday to show affection and respect for the elderly, saying they must not be treated as "aliens".

"It's a mortal sin to discard our elderly," said the pope, seen by his supporters as a champion of the poor and marginalised.

"The elderly are not aliens, we are them, in a short or in a long while; we are inevitably them, although we choose not to think about it," he told 12,000 followers gathered on Saint Peter's Square.

"A society where the elderly are discarded carries within it the virus of death," said the 78-year-old Argentinian pontiff.

The pope said that while life expectancy has increased in recent decades, old age is treated like "an illness to be kept at arm's length".

He warned his followers: "If we do not learn to look after and to respect our elderly, we will be treated in the same way."

Pope Francis, wearing the mantle of a humble advocate for the poor while defending Catholic orthodoxy, rose from modest beginnings to become, in 2013, the first Latin American leader of the 1.2 billion-strong Church.

Pope Francis urged his followers at his weekly prayer on Wednesday to show affection and respect for the elderly, saying they must not be treated as “aliens”.

“It’s a mortal sin to discard our elderly,” said the pope, seen by his supporters as a champion of the poor and marginalised.

“The elderly are not aliens, we are them, in a short or in a long while; we are inevitably them, although we choose not to think about it,” he told 12,000 followers gathered on Saint Peter’s Square.

“A society where the elderly are discarded carries within it the virus of death,” said the 78-year-old Argentinian pontiff.

The pope said that while life expectancy has increased in recent decades, old age is treated like “an illness to be kept at arm’s length”.

He warned his followers: “If we do not learn to look after and to respect our elderly, we will be treated in the same way.”

Pope Francis, wearing the mantle of a humble advocate for the poor while defending Catholic orthodoxy, rose from modest beginnings to become, in 2013, the first Latin American leader of the 1.2 billion-strong Church.

AFP
Written By

With 2,400 staff representing 100 different nationalities, AFP covers the world as a leading global news agency. AFP provides fast, comprehensive and verified coverage of the issues affecting our daily lives.

You may also like:

Social Media

Wanna buy some ignorance? You’re in luck.

Business

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said the carrier was reviewing recent incidents and would redouble safety initiatives as needed - Copyright AFP Logan CyrusUnited...

World

US President Joe Biden speaks during a reception honoring Women's History Month at the White House - Copyright AFP Brendan SMIALOWSKIDanny KEMPUS President Joe...

Business

A Milei marks 100 days in office, thousands protest his austerity measures - Copyright AFP Luis ROBAYOLeila MACORArgentina’s President Javier Milei has slashed public...