Category The Pope & The Vatican

Old age is not a burden to manage but a gift to cherish

Oudtshoorn, 28 July 2026 – The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly this year reached its sixth ‘celebration,’ gradually becoming an established fixture in the life of the Church.

“It is not enough to organize services; we must build relationships.” Only in this way can “the certainty of not being forgotten by God” become “the daily experience of not being forgotten by one’s parish and one’s family.” These are the words of Vittorio Scelzo, an official of the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life and head of its pastoral care of the elderly, reflecting on the six years since the institution of the World Day dedicated to grandparents and the elderly.

This year The World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly was celebrated on Sunday, 26 July, the feast of Saints Joachim and Anne, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary —i n other words, “Jesus’ grandparents.”

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The 6th Word Day for Grandparents and the Elderly

Oudtshoorn, 17 July 2026 – The Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life has confirmed that the Holy Father has directed that the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly will continue to be celebrated annually on the fourth Sunday in July, closest to the liturgical memorial of Saints Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus.

The theme chosen by Pope Leo XIV for the 6th World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly – “I will never forget you” (Is 49:15) – reminds us that God’s unwavering love is the ultimate answer to the isolation and neglect so often experienced by the elderly. It brings comfort and hope, assuring us that the Lord knows each of us personally, forgets no one, and loves us unconditionally, even through the frailties of old age.

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Pray with the Pope videos
July Prayer Intention | Gebedsintensie vir Julie

Oudtshoorn, 2026 – Regular visitors to the Diocesan social media pages will be well acquainted with the monthly prayer intention of the Holy Father that we disseminate as “Bid saam met Pous Leo | Pray with Pope Leo | Thandaza kunye noPapa Leo.”

“Pray with the Pope videos” is a new initiative of the Dicastery for Communication and the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network that invites people around the world to share in a real communion of prayer with Pope Leo XIV, offering prayer as a path to unity in a divided world.

Pray with the Pope invites the faithful to share in a common moment of prayer with the Pope. The initiative was presented on Wednesday, 7 January, shortly before the release of the first video message in which Pope Leo XIV shares his prayer intention for January 2026. The video, recorded in English, Italian, and Spanish, marks the official launch of the project.

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Key ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ theme infographics

Oudtshoorn, 20 June 2026 – On May 29th we published an article highligting key themes from ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ in infographic format, issued by the Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development . The helpful infographics highlighting the key themes of Pope Leo’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas have now been translated into Afrikaans, thanks to #AfrikaansKatoliek.

Op 29 Mei het ons ’n artikel gepubliseer wat die kern‑temas van Magnifica Humanitas in infografiese formaat uitlig en wat deur die Vatikaan se Dikasterie vir die Bevordering van Integrale Menslike Ontwikkeling uitgereik is. Die nuttige infografieke wat die kern‑temas van Pous Leo se eerste ensiëkliek, Magnifica Humanitas, beklemtoon, is nou in Afrikaans vertaal, danksy #AfrikaansKatoliek.

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Give thanks and keep on praying

Oudtshoorn, 14 June 2026 – It is only fitting that we should give thanks for the safe return to Rome of Pope Leo XIV from his apostolic journey to the Spanish Kingdom.

Throughout the six-day trip, the Holy Father boldly declared the joy of faith, demanded peace, and showered prayers and encouragement upon the faithful throughout Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands. Keep Popek Leon and the people of Spain in your prayers – once a bastion of faith, increasingly slipping into the depths of secularism.

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Pope Leo arrived in Tenerife on the last stop of his papal visit to Spain

Oudtshoorn, 9 Junie 2026 – Pope Leo arrived in the Canary Islands that have to manage the largest migration crisis due to their proximity to Africa. The Holy Father is in the Canary Islands accompanied by the Spanish Prime Minister. Pedro Sanchez.

In his first official act in the Canary Islands, the Spanish archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of Africa, Pope Leo XIV blessed a cross made from wood salvaged from boats carrying migrants to Spain’s shores and in a moment of profound prayer, the Pontiff entrusted this vulnerable population and those who assist them to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Stella Maris, patroness of the sea.

Pope Leo met with migrants and NGOs at a port in Spain’s Canary Islands dubbed the ‘dock of shame’ because of its squalid conditions during a spike in migrant arrivals in 2020. The Pope is reposted to have said history would “condemn those who allowed people fleeing war or poverty to suffer.”

During a meeting with migrant integration organizations at the Plaza del Cristo in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in Spain, a Moroccan migrant told his story to the Pope: “My journey on a patera was not easy, on the first attempt 20 people died. In Tenerife a new life began for me, they taught me Spanish and I trained to be able to work. Today I feel happy working”.

The Pope will celebrate Mass on the island around noon today and after mass, he will tour the port area to greet the gathered faithful, before moving to Los Rodeos airport, where at around 2:30 PM a farewell ceremony will be held with the presence of King Felipe VI, prior to the plane’s departure for Rome.

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