Preaching at a Mass celebrated in Canada’s largest stadium, Pope Francis reflected on the elderly, who he said should be honored, and who serve as an example to the Church on how to pass on faith in a loving way.

“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?”

Developing a theme he introduced Monday in his speech at Sacred Heart parish, the pope reflected on the importance of presenting the faith to others in a loving way, rather than with proselytism. 

“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.

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