Pope Francis has instituted a “World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly” on Sunday in the Roman Catholic Church, which is held once a year to honor them and emphasize their importance to society.
Francis, who made the startling announcement during his Sunday afternoon speech, said it would be highlighted in Catholic communities around the world on the fourth Sunday of July every year.
The Catholic Church already has a World Day of Peace, which Pope Paul instituted in 1967, a World Youth Day, which Pope John Paul II instituted in 1984, and a World Day of the Poor, which Francis began in 2017.
The worldwide Church holds special events and religious services on those days to draw attention to the needs and qualities of the groups.
Francis, 84, has often appealed to society to nurture the elderly as a source of wisdom and experience, lamenting a “throwaway culture” that puts them aside because they are no longer productive.
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