At his weekly public audience on June 15, Pope Francis continued his series of talks on old age, saying that the elderly should both serve and be served.

“Visiting the elderly must be done by many, together and often,” the Pope said. He remarked on the fragility of the elderly, noting that “in old age even a simple fever can be dangerous.”

Reflecting on the Gospel passage in which Jesus cures the mother of St. Peter, the Pope observed, that when she was better, she served the apostles. “Even in old age one can—or rather one must—serve the community,” the Pope said.