On July 22, Pope Francis called on everyone to remember the elderly in a tweet ahead of the third annual World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly.

“Let us never abandon the elderly,” Francis stated in his tweet. “Their presence in our families and communities is precious, for they remind us that we share the same heritage and are part of a people committed to preserving our roots.”

Francis created the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in 2021 because he believes grandparents are often “forgotten,” yet they are "the link between generations, passing on the experience of life and faith to the young,” according to Vatican News.

The Church celebrates the annual event on the third Sunday in July due to its proximity to the Feast Day of St. Anne and St. Joachim, who were the parents of Mary and thus regarded as the grandparents of Jesus, Vatican News reported. The Feast Day of St. Anne and St. Joachim is July 26.

The main purpose of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly is to emphasize the value and significance of grandparents and the elderly, who often feel neglected or marginalized.

“The Lord trusts that young people, through their relationships with the elderly, will realize that they are called to cultivate memory and recognize the beauty of being part of a much larger history,” Francis said in his remarks about World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on July 23. “Friendship with an older person can help the young to see life not only in terms of the present and realize that not everything depends on them and their abilities. For the elderly, the presence of a young person in their lives can give them hope that their experience will not be lost and that their dreams can find fulfillment.”

Metin Durmaz, SAGIST GROUP CEO, echoed the pope’s sentiments in a July 22 tweet.

“Our seniors are the cornerstones of our community, enriched with experience and wisdom,” Durmaz wrote. “Learning from their lifetime of accumulated knowledge and preserving their valuable legacy is crucial. It is a humanitarian responsibility to safeguard and cherish them.”

Francis said World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly “is meant to be a small but precious sign of hope for them and for the whole Church."

"I renew my invitation to everyone – dioceses, parishes, associations, and communities – to celebrate this day and to make it the occasion of a joyful and renewed encounter between young and old,” he said, according to the Vatican.