Vatican, 23 July, 2023 / 5:51 pm (ACI Africa).
The third annual World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly is observed on July 23, 2023.
The event, instituted by Pope Francis in 2021, is now held on the fourth Sunday of July, which is the Sunday closest to the July 26 feast of Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.
This year’s theme is a line taken from Mary’s prayer, the Magnificat: “His mercy is from age to age.”
Pope Francis noted in his message for the day that the theme “takes us back to the joyful meeting between the young Mary and her elderly relative Elizabeth.”
The meeting of young and old is particularly relevant as this year’s World Day of Grandparents and Elderly falls just days before World Youth Day, which kicks off Aug. 1 in Lisbon, Portugal. The Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica led by Pope Francis gave special attention to the prayer of the elderly for the young pilgrims headed to the weeklong event.
