On Defining Old

Sometime in the late 1990s (exact year unknown), my grandma commented that she was “old.” My Uncle Dick told her, “You aren’t old until you are older than the Pope.”

In that one sentence, he quantifiably defined old and positioned himself for decades of family harassment.

John Paul II (b. 1921) was Pope when he made this now infamous statement. His health and mobility declined considerably in the 1990s. My grandma was still very spry for someone around 80. Since this was the early days of internet availability, we didn’t have a smartphone to verify the Pope’s age quickly. Dick made a fair assumption based on observations that Grandma was younger than the Pope.

Dick was wrong.

We later discovered Grandma was nearly 18 months older than John Paul II. She would also be nine years older than the next Pope, Benedict XVI (b. 1927). Based on Dick’s definition, Grandma became old in 1978 at the age of 59 when John Paul II succeeded John Paul I (b. 1912) as Pope. My grandma would remain old for the rest of her life and die in later 2014, about a year after Francis became Pope (b. 1936).

There is a positive perspective to this definition of old. If you aren’t old until you are older than the Pope, some people never get old. If the Pope is 87 and you are 85 and die before the next (likely younger) Holy See is installed, then you never got old. There are some benefits to knowing when to take your leave from this mortal existence.

Conversely, you could be just a heartbeat away from being old. Based on historical trends and the ages of the Popes over the past 50 years, the next Holy See will likely be in his late 60s to 70s at the start of his papacy. According to OnePeter5, a Catholic website espousing a restoration of Catholic traditions and culture, the next Pope will not be older than 80. Depending on the age of the next Pope, Dick could find himself succumbing to his own definition.

Pope Francis turns 88 in December and is currently in good health. The Holy Father has a full calendar, including major trips to Asia countries later in 2024. It doesn’t appear he has plans to slow down anytime soon. It may be a few more years before the end of the Silent Generation and the first of the Boomers can really call themselves “old.”

References

Activities of the Holy Father Pope Francis. (2024). The Holy See. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/events/year.dir.html/2024.html

Allen, J.L. (2024, May 25). Who will hold the keys of St. Peter Next? The ups and downs of expertise. The Catholic Herald. https://catholicherald.co.uk/the-use-of-expertise-when-asking-who-will-next-hold-the-keys-of-st-peter/

Tate, J. (2024, March 1). The Next Pope: Anonymous Cardinal Warns Fellow Cardinals. OnePeter5. https://onepeterfive.com/the-next-pope-anonymous-cardinal-warns-fellow-cardinals/

White, C. (2023, Dec 15). As Pope Francis reaches his 87th birthday, the ‘age issue’ looms large. The National Catholic Reporter. https://www.ncronline.org/vatican/vatican-news/pope-francis-reaches-his-87th-birthday-age-issue-looms-large