In Naples, Pope Francis spoke about the family and the elderly in a dialogue with some of the faithful
The family, the elderly and gratuitous love are among the themes that Francis touched on during his visit to Naples, on Saturday evening, as he responded to the questions of some of the faithful.
Speaking with Erminia, a 95-year-old widow who has found support in a Christian community, the Pope evoked once again the concept of the "culture of waste," denouncing the gap between the elderly and children in today‘s society: "Children are discarded, the elderly are discarded, because they are left alone. We who are elderly have ailments and problems, we bring problems to others, and people perhaps reject us because of our illnesses, because we are useless. Now, there is also this habit of—excuse the word—letting them die; and, since we really like using euphemisms, let‘s use a technical word: euthanasia. But euthanasia with an injection is not the only form; there is also hidden euthanasia, when you don‘t go to the doctor, you don‘t take care of yourself, you make your life sad, and so you die, everything ends." According to the Pope, the "best medicine for a long life" is the road of "closeness, friendship, tenderness. [...] To you, children, I recall the fourth commandment. Do you show affection to your parents; do you hug them and tell them that you love them? If so much money is spent on remedies, do you blame them? Examine your conscience closely. Affection is the greatest remedy for us seniors." In response to the questions of the Russo family about the difficulties that the family is encountering in the current situation, the Pope observed that "the crisis of the family is a social reality. Then, ideological colonization is imposed on families, with methods and proposals here in Europe and others that come from overseas; now, this error in human thinking, the gender theory, is creating a lot of confusion. So, the family is under attack." "I—continued Francis—do not have the solution. The Church is aware of the problem, and the Lord has inspired us to convene the Synod on the family, to discuss many issues. I have no solutions for this. However, the testimony of love is important, the witness of how to solve problems." This is so even when there are problems in a marriage, for example, "in the midst of fighting and even... when the dishes are flying. I always give some practical advice: fight as long as you want, but do not end the day without making peace. To do this, it‘s not necessary to get down on your knees, a caress is enough, because when you fight, there is some resentment within, and if peace is made immediately, all is well. The cold grudge from the day before is much more difficult to remove; so, make peace the same day. This is a piece of advice. Then—he concluded—it is important to always ask the other person if he/she likes or dislikes something. You are two: ‘I‘ is not very valid in marriage; what is valid is ‘we‘."