LONELINESS AT HEART OF POPE’S THEME FOR 4TH GRANDPARENTS DAY – ISRAEL REJECTS VATICAN DESCRIPTION OF “CARNAGE,” “DISPROPORTIONATE USE OF FORCE” IN GAZA

LONELINESS AT HEART OF POPE’S THEME FOR 4TH GRANDPARENTS DAY

Pope Francis releases the theme for his message for the 2024 World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly: “Do not cast me off in my old age”.

By Devin Watkins (Vatican news)

On Sunday, July 28, Catholics around the world will be invited to take time to reflect on the great heritage and wisdom passed on by their grandparents and the elderly.

In preparation for the 4th World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life released the theme for the 2024 iteration.

The Pope has chosen the theme: “Do not cast me off in my old age” (cf. Psalm 71:9). (Vatican photo)

According to a press release from the Dicastery, it is meant “to call attention to the fact that, sadly, loneliness is the bitter lot in life of many elderly persons, so often the victims of the throw-away culture.”

In his message, Pope Francis will draw on the verse from Psalm 71 that depicts the plea of an elderly person who reflects on the story of their friendship with God.

“By cherishing the charisms of grandparents and the elderly, and the contribution they make to the life of the Church, the World Day seeks to support the efforts of every ecclesial community to forge bonds between the generations and to combat loneliness, in the awareness that – as Scripture states – “It is not good for man to be alone” (Gen 2:18),” according to the press release.

Loneliness and Tenderness of Christian Community

Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Prefect of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life, expressed his gratitude to the Pope for highlighting the loneliness endured by many elderly people.

“Faced with this reality,” he said, “families and the ecclesial community are called to be at the forefront in promoting a culture of encounter, to create spaces for sharing, listening, to offer support and affection: thus, the love of Gospel becomes concrete.”

Loneliness, admitted the cardinal prefect, is an unavoidable condition of human life, as well as an invitation to turn to God the Father for comfort.

As Christians, he said, the World Day dedicated to grandparents and the elderly calls us to put aside our throwaway culture and show “tenderness and affectionate attention” to the most fragile members of our communities.

Prayerful Preparation for the Jubilee

The 2024 World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly takes place in the Year of Prayer, which Pope Francis has called to help Catholics prepare for the 2025 Jubilee.

The Pope established the World Day in 2021 to take place on the fourth Sunday of July, near the liturgical feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.

ISRAEL REJECTS VATICAN DESCRIPTION OF “CARNAGE,” “DISPROPORTIONATE USE OF FORCE” IN GAZA

There was an event on Tuesday, February 13, at the Italian embassy to the Holy See to mark the February 11, 1929 Lateran Pacts signed by the Holy See and Italy. Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin was at this event and had an exchange with journalists attending the event. Among topics discussed was the Israel-Palestinian situation in Gaza.

Responding to a communique issued February 14 by the Israeli embassy to the Holy See that decried terminology used by Parolin to describe Israeli actions in Gaza, Vatican news editor Andrea Tornielli wrote a reflection in February 15 English language Vatican news entitled “Stop the Carnage.”

“Immediately after the massacre perpetrated by Hamas terrorists on October 7, 2023, against peaceful Israeli families, Cardinal Secretary of State Pietro Parolin described it as “inhuman.” He emphasized the priority of freeing hostages and also spoke about Israel’s right to defence while indicating the necessary parameter of proportionality.

“Dialoguing with journalists on Tuesday, February 13, at the end of an event with Italian authorities, continued Tornielli, “Parolin used unequivocal words about what is happening in Gaza. He repeated the “clear and unequivocal condemnation of all forms of anti-Semitism”; at the same time, he reiterated the “request that Israel’s right to defence, which has been invoked to justify this operation, be proportional, and certainly with 30 thousand deaths, it is not.” The cardinal added, “I believe we are all outraged by what is happening, by this carnage, but we must have the courage to move forward and not lose hope.” His invitation is not to succumb to despair, to the alleged inevitability of a spiral of violence that can never bring peace but risks generating new hatred.

Wednesday, the day after the event with Cardinal Parolin, the Israeli embassy to the Holy See issued a communique in Italian, decrying the terms used by the Vatican representative to describe Israeli’s military action in Gaza.

It began: “On the occasion of the anniversary of the Lateran Pacts, His Eminence Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin stated that the 30,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza, according to Hamas sources, indicate that the answer from Israel to the massacre of October 7 is disproportionate.  This is a deplorable declaration. To judge the legitimacy of a war without holding into account all circumstances and relevant data leads, and inevitably to erroneous conclusions.”

The Embassy communiqué, then went on to list some of the relevant data, including the statement, “Gaza has been transformed by Hamas into the largest terrorist base ever seen. There is no civil infrastructure which has not been utilized by Hamas for its criminal plans, including hospitals, schools, places of worship, and many others.”

The Israeli February 14 communiqué noted that “civilians in Gaza actively participated in the unprovoked invasion of October 7 into Israeli territory, killing, raping, and taking civilians as hostages. All of these acts are defined as war crimes. In clear contrast, the IDF operations took place in full respect of international law.

A new communiqué issued today by the Israeli embassy, said: “with reference to the press communiqué of February 14. We wish to clarify that the original communiqué was in the English language and successively was translated into Italian. In English the communiqué, referring to the words of His Eminence Cardinal Parolin, read: it is a regrettable declaration”. In the translation in Italian, the word chosen was deplorevole, deplorable, which could have also been translated in a more precise manner such as ‘unfortunate.’

The Israeli embassy today published its original English statement.

(for full Vatican News editorial: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-02/editorial-tornielli-parolin-gaza-hamas-war-israel-antisemitism.html)