On the first World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on Sunday 25 July, the Pope called for more attention for the elderly. For this occasion, the altar in St. Peter’s Basilica was decorated with white dendrobium orchids, white Avalanche + roses, yellow Momentum+ roses, white lisianthus flowers and green carnations. The statue of Mary was decorated with 100 white Avalanche + roses.
The grandparents and elderly present were given a mini gerbera, a so-called ‘Piccolini’. Of these, more than 5,000 arrived in various shades of orange. The flowers were offered by Felinifoundation.nl, a foundation that aims to connect generations.
The initiative is supported by Dümmen Orange, Avalanche+ roses growers, OZ-Hami (Dutch Flower Group), HilverdaFlorist, Coop Delgolfo and FloraOlanda. There were over 2000 attendees. Pope Francis gave the blessing from the balcony. He wasn’t able to led the mass, because he recently had surgery. Archbishop Rino Fischella led the mass. The mass could be followed on TV all over the world via Rai International.
Loneliness
At the end of January of this year, Pope Francis chose to dedicate a day to grandparents and the elderly this year. The theme chosen by the Pope is “I am with you every day”, a message that is not only spiritual but also social.
The pandemic has affected the lives of people around the world, especially the elderly. In many places in the world, grandparents and the elderly have long suffered from loneliness.
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