'In old age they will still bear fruit': papal message for World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly (Vatican Press Office)

Pope Francis has issued a message for the 2nd World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly, which falls this year on July 24.

Established by Pope Francis, the day takes place on the fourth Sunday in July, close to July 26, the memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne (the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary and grandparents of Jesus).

The message’s theme is “In old age they will still bear fruit” (Psalm 92:15). The Pope concluded, “Let us ask Our Lady, Mother of Tender Love, to make all of us artisans of the revolution of tenderness, so that together we can set the world free from the specter of loneliness and the demon of war.”