POPE BENEDICT XVI IN UK Pope Benedict's speech to the elderly and staff of St Peter's
Residents, London, Saturday, 18 September, 2010
My dear Brothers and Sisters, I am very pleased to be among you, the
residents of Saint Peter’s, and to thank Sister Marie Claire and Mrs Fasky for their
kind words of welcome on your behalf. I am also pleased to greet Archbishop Smith
of Southwark, as well as the Little Sisters of the Poor and the personnel and volunteers
who look after you. As advances in medicine and other factors lead to increased
longevity, it is important to recognize the presence of growing numbers of older people
as a blessing for society. Every generation can learn from the experience and wisdom
of the generation that preceded it. Indeed the provision of care for the elderly should
be considered not so much an act of generosity as the repayment of a debt of gratitude. For
her part, the Church has always had great respect for the elderly. The Fourth Commandment,
“Honour your father and your mother as the Lord your God commanded you” (Deut 5:16),
is linked to the promise, “that your days may be prolonged, and that it may go well
with you, in the land which the Lord your God gives you” (Deut 5:16). This work of
the Church for the aging and infirm not only provides love and care for them, but
is also rewarded by God with the blessings he promises on the land where this commandment
is observed. God wills a proper respect for the dignity and worth, the health and
well-being of the elderly and, through her charitable institutions in Britain and
beyond, the Church seeks to fulfil the Lord’s command to respect life, regardless
of age or circumstances. At the very start of my pontificate I said, “Each
of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary” (Homily at the Mass
for the Beginning of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome, 24 April 2005). Life
is a unique gift, at every stage from conception until natural death, and it is God’s
alone to give and to take. One may enjoy good health in old age; but equally Christians
should not be afraid to share in the suffering of Christ, if God wills that we struggle
with infirmity. My predecessor, the late Pope John Paul, suffered very publicly during
the last years of his life. It was clear to all of us that he did so in union with
the sufferings of our Saviour. His cheerfulness and forbearance as he faced his final
days were a remarkable and moving example to all of us who have to carry the burden
of advancing years. In this sense, I come among you not only as a father,
but also as a brother who knows well the joys and the struggles that come with age.
Our long years of life afford us the opportunity to appreciate both the beauty of
God’s greatest gift to us, the gift of life, as well as the fragility of the human
spirit. Those of us who live many years are given a marvellous chance to deepen our
awareness of the mystery of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.
As the normal span of our lives increases, our physical capacities are often diminished;
and yet these times may well be among the most spiritually fruitful years of our lives.
These years are an opportunity to remember in affectionate prayer all those whom we
have cherished in this life, and to place all that we have personally been and done
before the mercy and tenderness of God. This will surely be a great spiritual comfort
and enable us to discover anew his love and goodness all the days of our life. With
these sentiments, dear brothers and sisters, I am pleased to assure you of my prayers
for you all, and I ask for your prayers for me. May our blessed Lady and her spouse
Saint Joseph intercede for our happiness in this life and obtain for us the blessing
of a serene passage to the next. May God bless you all!