Pope Francis has exhorted young people to reach out in tenderness to the elderly amid the loneliness of the coronavirus pandemic.
“In the memory of Ss Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, I would like to invite young people to make a gesture of tenderness towards the elderly, especially the most lonely ones in homes and residences, those who have not seen their loved ones for many months,” Pope Francis [pictured] said following the Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square on July 26.
He asked the young to do something concrete for the elderly, using “the fantasy of love” to inspire their actions. He then went on to give them suggestions for doing just that:
“Call them, video chat with them, send them messages, listen to them, go and visit them when it is possible while observing health precautions, send them a hug.”
Tweeting that afternoon, he repeated the message to the world: “On the memorial of the Ss Joachim and Anne, Jesus’s ‘grandparents’, I would like to invite young people to do something tender towards the elderly, especially the loneliest, in their homes or residences. Dear young people, each elderly person is your grandparent!”
