VATICAN: Pope Francis on Wednesday urged Catholics to honour the elderly and take care of family bonds, also taking the opportunity to return to the thorny subject of mothers-in-law.
In 2015, Francis sparked laughter on a visit to the United States when he told a crowd of thousands: “Families quarrel and sometimes plates can fly and children bring headaches, and I won’t speak about mothers-in-law.”
Turning his attention once again to family relations on Wednesday, Francis made a long digression on the “mythical character” of the mother-in-law and said they were often the victim of “cliches”.
“We say to ourselves ‘the further away your mother-in-law is, the better’.
“But no — she’s a mother, she’s an elderly person.
“One of the most beautiful things for a woman is to have grandchildren. When her children have children, it brings her to life again,” the 85-year-old pope added. – AFP
