Archbishop Paglia writes new book about old age as a ‘time for inner growth’

CNA Staff, Sep 3, 2024 / 14:07 pm

Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, 79, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, has written a new book titled “Destinati alla Vita,” which translates to “Destiny for Life.” The book is a reflection on old age and highlights how this time of life can serve as a time for inner growth. 

In an excerpt published by L’Osservatore Romano, Paglia praises Pope Francis’ work throughout his papacy to honor the elderly and their importance in our lives, especially in the establishment of the World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly.

“Pope Francis has taken up the spiritual challenge of old age … As a pope he developed his teaching even more, to the point of establishing a special liturgical feast to celebrate his grandparents,” Paglia wrote. “But it is through the specific catechesis on the subject that he proposed a more articulated and comprehensive help to the elderly — in particular the believers, but not only — so that they face this last age of life as a time of grace, an appropriate time, a time of growth even if the body becomes fragile.”

He continued: “The years of old age lead to the fulfillment of every personal existence. We do not walk in the void and aimlessly at the mercy of fate,” he said.

Speaking about the COVID-19 pandemic, Paglia emphasized that the experience people endured served as a reminder that we are all fragile — not just the elderly.

He also touched on an “anti-age ideology” that “has led to a deep fracture between generations.”

“The ties have weakened, they have no duration, they have no history, they have no destination,” he said. “The effect is a sort of endless adolescence that empties affections and bonds. The change is sending the traditional humanistic parameters of training out of the axis.”

The archbishop went on to ask: “How can you educate the new generations to the values of life that are not consumed over time if the time of old age is assimilated to that of an expired product?”

In his book, Paglia urged that a “new alliance between generations” be formed, “especially among the elderly and the young.”