Although he walks quickly and appears to have no serious medical problems, the 83-year-old Pope Benedict XVI said he knows what it's like to get old and experience increasing physical frailty.Greeting a small gathering of his peers and elders in London Sept. 18, the pope said, "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."
In the midst of a four-day visit filled with the pomp of papal liturgies and the formality of meeting royalty and government officials, Pope Benedict visited St. Peter's Residence, a home for the aged run by the Little Sisters of the Poor.
"Those of us who live many years are given a marvelous chance to deepen our awareness of the mystery of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity," the pope told the 76 residents, who include nine priests and members of religious orders.
"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," the pope said.
Patricia Fasky, who lives at St. Peter's, welcomed the pope to the residence's small theater and told him, "we all love you and we pray for you."
The tiny stage was decked with yellow and white flowers; in front of it stood a mosaic of St. Peter, which the pope gave to the home, and a gold chasuble, which the residents and nuns gave the pope.
While the sisters and staff members energetically reached out to shake or kiss the pope's hand, it was the pope who approached many of the elderly, grasping their hands with both of his.
Pope Benedict also used his visit to St. Peter's as an opportunity to reaffirm church teaching about the value of human life at every stage of its development and to urge people to love and respect the elderly.
As human longevity increases in many countries, he said, people must learn to see the growing number of elderly as a blessing for society.
"Every generation can learn from the experience and wisdom of the generation that preceded it," he said, adding that care for older citizens is not a burden, but the repayment of a debt of gratitude.
SIC: CNS/UK