“We wanted to investigate the reception of Pope Francis’s magisterium on the elderly because the extension of the years of life that makes Italy the second longest-lived country in the world,” the prelate said.
The survey, entrusted to Fondazione Età Grande and conducted by the multinational marketing research firm Ipsos, found “lack of national coordination, poor ability to value the elderly as a resource, [and] too much concentration on the aspect related to health,” according to Avvenire, the newspaper of the Italian bishops’ conference.
To address deficiencies in pastoral care, the survey, according to Avvenire, called for “structured national guidelines,” the involvement of lay professionals, “more formation ... more listening to needs, [and] a greater ability to rethink ecclesiastical realities as a meeting place not only for young people, but also for people of all ages, including the elderly.”