'Adopt a Grandparent' reflects Pope Francis' 'alliance' between the old and the young

In an interview last month with Fr. Antonio Spadaro, it was highlighted Pope Francis’s intent on creating an encounter for dialogue between the elderly and the young. This was inspired from Pope Francis many homilies and speeches where he quoted Joel (3:1)

“Your elders will have dreams, your young men will have visions”^[1].

The dream of Pope Francis, is that he like grandfathers and grandmothers, is that through dialogue wisdom from life experiences is passed to the young who have the energy and passion to look ahead and make a positive difference in todays’ society and for future generations.

This has been expressed in the launch of the book ‘Sharing the Wisdom of Time’ and a documentary series which is found on Netflix, “Stories of a Generation with Pope Francis” where the trailer is found in the video above.

Pope Francis in his preface to the book Sharing the Wisdom of Time:

“To walk toward the future, the past is needed, deep roots are needed to help live the present and its challenges. Memory is needed, courage is needed, a healthy vision of the future is needed. Here is what I would like: a world that lives in a new alliance of young and old.”^[2]

Missio Malta and Newsbook.com.mt supports this intergenerational relation between the young and elderly through the ‘Adopt a Grandparent’ Campaign. The campaign pair senior citizens within our Maltese community with caring individuals who touch base regularly to keep the elderly feel loved and taken care of. In turn, the adoptees would get to enjoy the company and wisdom through shared stories from an older generation, creating meaningful, long-lasting friendships. Adopt a Grandparent is funded by Malta Social Impact Awards.

Would you like to Adopt a Grandparent?

Check the website: www.adoptagradparent.org