Pope Francis Establishes ‘World Grandparents’ and Elders’ Day’
31 Jan 2021
ROME Pope Francis announced Sunday the establishment of a new annual Catholic feast day to underscore the importance of grandparents and the elderly in society.
“I have decided to establish World Grandparents’ and Elders’ Day, which will be held in all the Church every year on the fourth Sunday of July, close to the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, Jesus’ ‘grandparents,’” the pope said following his weekly prayer of the Angelus, delivered from the library of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican.
The pontiff also noted that on February 2, Christians celebrate “the feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, when Simeon and Anna, both elderly, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, recognised Jesus as the Messiah.”