Pope Francis preached at a Mass held at the largest stadium in Canada, reflecting on how the elderly should be respected and how they show the Church how to impart faith in a loving manner.
“In addition to being children of a history that needs to be preserved, we are authors of a history yet to be written,” the Holy Father said.
“The grandparents who went before, the elderly who had dreams and hopes for us, and made great sacrifices for us, ask us an essential question: what kind of a society do you want to build?”
The pope elaborated on a theme he first raised in his speech at the Sacred Heart church on Monday by stressing the value of sharing one’s religion with people in a loving manner as opposed to through proselytising.
“From our grandparents we learned that love is never forced; it never deprives others of their interior freedom. That is the way Joachim and Anne loved Mary; and that is how Mary loved Jesus, with a love that never smothered him or held him back, but accompanied him in embracing the mission for which he had come into the world,” Pope Francis said.
“It was in our grandparents’ homes that many of us breathed in the fragrance of the Gospel, the strength of a faith which makes us feel at home. Thanks to them, we discovered that kind of ‘familiar’ faith. Because that is how faith is fundamentally passed on, at home, through affection and encouragement, care and closeness…Let us try to learn this, as individuals and as a Church. May we learn never to pressure the consciences of others, never to restrict the freedom of those around us.”
The Mass is the second day of Pope Francis’s week-long visit to Canada’s public events. On July 25, the pope issued a formal apology for the Catholic Church’s oversight of a sizable portion of Canada’s government-funded residential school system.
Later that day, Francis expressed his “shame” and grief once more at the harm perpetrated by Catholics during the time of Canada’s residential school system while addressing a group of Catholics at Edmonton’s Sacred Heart parish. As “a house for all, open and inclusive, just as the Church should be,” he praised the parish community.
The Edmonton Elks play their home games at Commonwealth Stadium, which is Canada’s largest outdoor stadium. At the Mass on July 26, local authorities predicted a turnout of 50,000 people.
Pope Francis stressed in his sermon the significance of honouring the sacrifices made by earlier generations and of “safeguarding the treasure” of the faith that they have handed down.
“May Joachim and Anne intercede for us. May they help us to cherish the history that gave us life, and, for our part, to build a life-giving history,” the pope concluded.
“May they remind us of our spiritual duty to honor our grandparents and our elders, to treasure their presence among us in order to create a better future. A future in which the elderly are not cast aside because, from a “practical” standpoint, they are ‘no longer useful’. A future that does not judge the value of people simply by what they can produce. A future that is not indifferent to the need of the aged to be cared for and listened to. A future in which the history of violence and marginalization suffered by our indigenous brothers and sisters is never repeated. That future is possible if, with God’s help, we do not sever the bond that joins us with those who have gone before us, and if we foster dialogue with those who will come after us.”
Later on this afternoon, on July 26, Pope Francis will take part in a pilgrimage to Lac Ste. Anne, a location that attracts thousands of pilgrims each year and bills itself as the site of the biggest annual Catholic gathering in western Canada. At the location, the pope will also celebrate a Liturgy of the Word.