Catholic Archbishop in Nigeria Urges Government to Improve Social Services for Elderly

“Grandparents are often forgotten and we forget this wealth of preserving and passing on the roots. For this reason, I have decided to establish the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly,” Pope Francis said in the library of the Vatican’s Apostolic Palace January 31.

In his July 25 message, Archbishop Kaigama reiterated the Holy Father’s call to care for the elderly, saying, “As Christ continues caring for us in the Eucharist and in His Word, so must we continue caring for one another. This spirit of caring and giving is more urgent today as we celebrate the First World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, established by Pope Francis.”

“In his message to mark the day, the Holy Father affirms the spiritual closeness of the Church to grandparents and the elderly with the consoling words of Jesus to His disciples, ‘I am with you always,’” the Nigerian Archbishop said.

He noted that despite the many challenges that elderly people ensure in life, they have a special place in God’s presence.

“The elderly are assured of the abiding presence of God who continues to accompany them on the journey of life, despite the difficulties and challenges associated with old age. They are reminded to tenaciously hold on to the faith and to pass it on to the young,” the Archbishop of Abuja said.

Grandparents and the elderly are a source of wisdom, he said, adding in reference to the elderly, “By passing on their knowledge, morals and values, they play a great role in the formation of a decent society. They are a strong link between the past, the present and the future.”

The Catholic Church leader appealed to younger members of the society to respect the elderly and grandparents and to pray always for those of them who are sick and weak or suffering conditions associated with aging.

He urged families to ensure that the elderly members are well provided for and not just wait to organize for their expensive funerals when they are dead.

“Our practice of social distancing due to COVID-19 should not distance us from them,” Archbishop Kaigama said, and added, “It is sad today to see lavish funerals organized for departed ones after they were allowed to live a life of loneliness, misery and neglect.”

Additionally, grandparents provide direction in a society struggling with social issues, the Archbishop said.

He explained, “In these times of moral and social decay, grandparents and the elderly can teach us how to heal our wounded humanity; the spirit of sharing, in a nation where selfishness, corruption and the spate of crime and insecurity deprive many of the basic necessities of life; a nation that continues to take mind boggling financial loans without any corresponding impact on our quality of life; only to leave a fragile and perilous future for generations of our youths.”

In a message released ahead of the inaugural World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, Pope Francis referred to his own advanced age, and quoted his predecessor, Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, whom he called “a saintly elderly person who continues to pray and work for the Church.”

“‘The prayer of the elderly can protect the world, helping it perhaps more effectively than the frenetic activity of many others.’ [Benedict] spoke those words in 2012, towards the end of his pontificate,” Pope Francis said in June.

He added, “There is something beautiful here. Your prayer is a very precious resource: a deep breath that the Church and the world urgently need.”

Meanwhile, making reference to the Gospel Reading in his Sunday, July 25 homily, Archbishop Kaigama noted that Jesus, moved by compassion, fed more than five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. 

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“Jesus cared in the past, He cares today, and He will care in the future for our physical and spiritual needs,” the Archbishop said, and called upon the people of God in the West African country to demonstrate similar kindness to those in need.

He, however, noted that the people of God in Nigeria are finding it difficult to survive in a country where the cost of living has gone up.

“The escalation in the prices of foodstuff today has made it difficult for the poor among us to feed,” he said, and added, “The problem in Nigeria is not whether we have resources to share, but the willingness to share them fairly, honestly and charitably.”

Underscoring the need to share, The Nigerian Archbishop said, “We often forget how far-reaching the little we each possess shared generously can satisfy the needs of other people. Often, we assume that it is the task for the government or the United Nations or NGOs; but a lot can be done with our little if we focus on the person in need and the intention rather than the quantity of what is available.”