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                                  VIS-Press releases   
      
   POPE PRESENTS ELDERLY PEOPLE WITH EXAMPLE OF JOHN PAUL II   
      
   VATICAN CITY, 18 SEP 2010 (VIS) - At 4.40 p.m. today the Holy Father travelled   
   to St. Peter's old people's home which lies eleven kilometres from the   
   apostolic nunciature in London. The institution, which houses seventy-six   
   elderly people including nine priests and religious, is run by the Little   
   Sisters of the Poor, an order that has been active in England since 1851. The   
   nuns are assisted in their duties by volunteers and members of the Association   
   of Jeanne Jugan (1792-1879), foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor which   
   today has a presence in thirty-two countries.   
      
   Benedict XVI was greeted by Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark, the chaplain   
   of the old people's home, the superior general of the order, and the religious   
   of the community. He then went on to meet the residents of the institution to   
   whom he delivered an address.   
      
   "The Church", he said, "has always had great respect for the elderly. The   
   fourth Commandment, 'Honour your father and your mother as the Lord your God   
   commanded you', is linked to the promise, 'that your days may be prolonged, and   
   that it may go well with you, in the land which the Lord your God gives you'.   
   This work of the Church for the aging and infirm not only provides love and   
   care for them, but is also rewarded by God with the blessings He promises on   
   the land where this commandment is observed. God wills a proper respect for the   
   dignity and worth, the health and wellbeing of the elderly and, through her   
   charitable institutions in Britain and beyond, the Church seeks to fulfil the   
   Lord's command to respect life, regardless of age or circumstances".   
      
   The Pope went on: "Life is a unique gift, at every stage from conception until   
   natural death, and it is God's alone to give and to take. One may enjoy good   
   health in old age; but equally Christians should not be afraid to share in the   
   suffering of Christ, if God wills that we struggle with infirmity. My   
   predecessor, the late Pope John Paul, suffered very publicly during the last   
   years of his life. It was clear to all of us that he did so in union with the   
   sufferings of our Saviour. His cheerfulness and forbearance as he faced his   
   final days were a remarkable and moving example to all of us who have to carry   
   the burden of advancing years.   
      
   "In this sense", he added, "I come among you not only as a father, but also as   
   a brother who knows well the joys and the struggles that come with age. 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. Those of us who live many years are given a marvellous chance to   
   deepen our awareness of the mystery of Christ, who humbled Himself to share in   
   our humanity.   
      
   "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. These years are an opportunity to remember in affectionate   
   prayer all those whom we have cherished in this life, and to place all that we   
   have personally been and done before the mercy and tenderness of God. This will   
   surely be a great spiritual comfort and enable us to discover anew His love and   
   goodness all the days of our life", Pope Benedict concluded.   
      
   The Pope greeted some of the elderly inhabitants of the home, then went to   
   visit a number of sick people on the first floor of the building before signing   
   the institution's visitor's book.   
   PV-UNITED KINGDOM/VIS 20100919 (640)   
      
   SUMMARY   
      
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