Benedict XVI to Attend Meeting With Elderly This Weekend

The pope emeritus will be present at an encounter before a Sunday Mass at the Vatican that Pope Francis will offer for grandparents and the elderly.

Benedict XVI greets Enrichetta Vitali, a resident of a home for the elderly, at a November 2012 encounter in Rome.
Benedict XVI greets Enrichetta Vitali, a resident of a home for the elderly, at a November 2012 encounter in Rome. (photo: Comunita di Sant'Egidio)

VATICAN CITY — Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI will be present at an encounter with Pope Francis and the elderly on Sunday morning in St. Peter’s Square, the Vatican announced Friday.

According to a Sept. 26 statement from the Holy See Press Office, the encounter will precede a Mass said for grandparents and the elderly at 10:30am.

Benedict XVI, who is 87, will depart prior to the beginning of Mass.

Some 40,000 seniors from more than 20 countries are expected to participate in the Mass. Included in this number are persons from Italy, Spain, Argentina and the United States.

The Pontifical Council for the Family said that more than 50 elderly priests will concelebrate the Mass with Pope Francis, including the oldest priest of the Diocese of Rome, as well as priests from the Democratic Republic of Congo, India and Argentina.

Palestinian Christians celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at Holy Family Church in Gaza City on March 31, amid the ongoing battles Israel and the Hamas militant group.

People Explain ‘Why I Go to Mass’

‘Why go to Mass on Sundays? It is not enough to answer that it is a precept of the Church. … We Christians need to participate in Sunday Mass because only with the grace of Jesus, with his living presence in us and among us, can we put into practice his commandment, and thus be his credible witnesses.’ —Pope Francis