Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/104855
Visiting elderly, Pope says, "it's wonderful being old" By Cindy Wooden, Catholic News Service ROME (CNS) -Presenting himself as "an elderly man visiting his peers," Pope Benedict XVI visited a Rome residence for the elderly, urging the residents to see their age as a sign of God's blessing and urging society to value their presence and wisdom. and visiting with the residents, who include an elderly couple from Haiti whose home was destroyed in the 2010 earthquake. Walking with his whitehandled black cane, the pope visited several of the residents in their rooms and apartments before addressing them and members of Sant'Egidio in the garden. "Though I know the difficulties that come with being our age, I want to say, it's wonderful being old," the 85-year-old pope said Nov. 12 during a morning visit to the residence run by the lay Community of Sant'Egidio. The residence includes apartments for independent living as well as rooms for those requiring more skilled care. Younger members of the Sant'Egidio Community volunteer their time assisting 26 One of the residents, 91-year-old Enrichetta Vitali, told the pope, "I don't eat so much anymore, but prayer is my nourishment." She asked the pope to "pray that I don't lose my memory so I can keep remembering people in my prayers." "... it is a grace to be supported and accompanied and to feel the affection of others." Pope Benedict The pope told those gathered at the residence on the Janiculum Hill that in the Bible a long life is considered a National Catholic Forester