With the third celebration of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly fast approaching, Pope Francis has taken to Twitter to underscore the value the elderly bring to society.

The day will be observed July 23 this year, the Vatican News said.

“The elderly entrust the past to the present in order to construct the future. Let us honor them, neither depriving ourselves of their company nor depriving them of ours,” the pope said on Twitter. “May we never allow the elderly to be cast aside!”

Pope Francis has long had a place in his heart for the elderly, who sometimes are treated like societal cast-offs. In an effort to give them their due, the pontiff established World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in 2021.

The Church determined it should fall on the fourth Sunday of July, the Vatican News said in its report. The reason that date was picked is so the event will always be celebrated about the same time of year as the Feast Day of St. Anne and St. Joachim. St. Anne and St. Joachim are Mary’s parents and, therefore, are considered to be Jesus’ grandparents. Their feast day takes place annually on July 26, the Vatican News added.

"The Holy Spirit, who had earlier descended upon Mary, prompted her to respond with the Magnificat, in which she proclaimed that the Lord’s mercy is from generation to generation," Pope Francis said in a message put out by the Vatican. "That same Spirit blesses and accompanies every fruitful encounter between different generations: between grandparents and grandchildren, between young and old. God wants young people to bring joy to the hearts of the elderly, as Mary did to Elizabeth, and gain wisdom from their experiences. Yet, above all, the Lord wants us not to abandon the elderly or to push them to the margins of life, as tragically happens all too often in our time.”

In establishing World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, Pope Francis was endeavoring to ensure that grandparents and the elderly are appreciated for their value and significance.

The theme for this year’s celebration is "His mercy is from age to age." The pope is asking people to recognize the importance of generations staying connected to one another. With that, he urged younger generations to nurture relationships with the elderly, the Holy See said in a statement.

"The 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,” the pontiff continued. "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."