Pope Francis has been advocating for the elderly for a while, and part of that effort has included the creation of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly in 2021.

With the third celebration of the day is coming up July 23, the Vatican News said in a report, the pope is again promoting his call for people to respect and appreciated the elders in society.

“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 in a recent tweet. “May we never allow the elderly to be cast aside!”

In devising World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, the Church determined it should fall on the fourth Sunday of July, the Vatican News said in a report. The objective behind that date is so the day will always be celebrated about the same time of year as the Feast Day of St. Anne and St. Joachim, Mary’s parents and, therefore, considered to be Jesus’ grandparents. The Feast Day of St. Anne and St. Joachim 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."

"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."

World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly was established as a way to ensure that grandparents and the elderly are appreciated. The elderly often feel neglected or marginalized around the world, and the pope said he hoped the day would boost their feelings of self-worth.

This year’s theme is "His mercy is from age to age." The pope is calling upon people to recognize the importance of intergenerational connection and he’s asking younger generations to foster relationships with the elderly, the Holy See said in a statement.