Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

VATICAN CITY — Many elderly people risk feeling an increasingly unbearable sense of loneliness, especially during summer, Pope Francis said.

“Let us say ‘no’ to the loneliness of the elderly! Our future depends a great deal on how grandparents and grandchildren learn to live together,” he stated after praying the Angelus with visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square on July 28.

The day marked the Catholic Church’s celebration of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, whose theme was “Do not cast me off in my old age.”

“The day calls us to listen to the voice of the elderly who say, ‘Do not abandon me!’ and to answer, ‘I will not abandon you!'” he said. “The abandonment of the elderly is indeed a sad reality to which we must not grow accustomed. For many of them, especially in these summer days, loneliness risks becoming a difficult burden to bear.”

“Let us strengthen the alliance between grandparents and grandchildren, between young people and the elderly,” Pope Francis said, leading a round of applause for all grandparents in the world.

The pope also assured those affected by major landslides in southern Ethiopia of his prayers. “I am close to that sorely tried population and to those who are bringing relief.”

A series of landslides hit Gofa on July 21-22, killing at least 250 people. As rescue crews continued to dig through the mud on July 29, authorities expected the death toll could climb as high as 500 people.

After the Angelus, Pope Francis condemned ongoing weapons production. “While there are many people in the world who suffer due to disasters and hunger, we continue to produce and sell weapons and burn resources fueling wars, large and small,” he said. “This is an outrage that the international community should not tolerate, and it contradicts the spirit of brotherhood of the Olympic Games that have just begun. Let us not forget, brothers and sisters: war is defeat!” he emphasized.

Before praying the Angelus, Pope Francis reflected on the day’s Gospel reading (Jn 6:9) about Jesus’ multiplication of a boy’s small offering of loaves and fishes.

There are three gestures that are part of this miracle: offering, giving thanks and sharing — gestures that Jesus repeated at the Last Supper.

The importance of offering what little one has is emphasized during Mass when "the priest offers bread and wine on the altar," each person offers himself or herself as well.

“It is a gesture that may seem small when we think of humanity's immense needs," but God makes it material for miracles," Pope Francis noted. "In Mass Communion," he continued, "we approach receiving Christ's Body and Blood — everyone's gift transformed into food for all."

“It is a beautiful moment that teaches us every gesture of love as grace for both giver and receiver,” he concluded.

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