- Feb 5, 2002
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ROME – When he addressed an international congress on the pastoral care of the elderly yesterday, Pope Leo laid out the demographic premises for an honest assessment of Catholic life these days, but he didn’t quite draw out the logical pastoral consequences – in part, perhaps, because there’s only so much you can do in a brief 900-word address.
Leo clearly acknowledged that rapid aging of societies is one of the key hallmarks of our time: “The growing number of elderly people is an unprecedented historical phenomenon that calls us to discern and understand the reality in new ways,” he said.
Basic demographic data backs up that observation.
In the United States, the median age was 30 in 1950, but it will reach 41 by 2050. In Europe it will be 47.1, and in Japan a staggering 52.3. Fully a third of all Japanese will be over 60 within a decade, creating a potentially serious shortage of elder care facilities and personnel. One leading Japanese politician actually has proposed exporting retirees to the Philippines in order to relieve the pressure.
Continued below.
Leo clearly acknowledged that rapid aging of societies is one of the key hallmarks of our time: “The growing number of elderly people is an unprecedented historical phenomenon that calls us to discern and understand the reality in new ways,” he said.
Basic demographic data backs up that observation.
In the United States, the median age was 30 in 1950, but it will reach 41 by 2050. In Europe it will be 47.1, and in Japan a staggering 52.3. Fully a third of all Japanese will be over 60 within a decade, creating a potentially serious shortage of elder care facilities and personnel. One leading Japanese politician actually has proposed exporting retirees to the Philippines in order to relieve the pressure.
Continued below.
