Pope: Do Not Hide Wrinkles, It’s ‘The Heart that Matters’

On Wednesday, Pope Francis encouraged people not to hide their wrinkles, saying “it’s the heart that matters.”

During a reflection on “the myth of eternal youth”, the pope praised the “wise Italian actress” Anna Magnani for refusing to allow her wrinkles to be concealed. Magnani, who died in 1973 at the age of 65, is said to have once told her make-up artist: “Please don’t retouch my wrinkles. It took me so long to earn them.”

The pope said: “Everything is done to always have this youth — so much make-up, so many surgical interventions to appear young. This is what wrinkles are: a sign of experience, a sign of life, a sign of maturity, a sign of having made a journey. Do not touch them to become young, that your face might look young. What matters is the entire personality; it’s the heart that matters, and the heart remains with the youth of good wine — the more it ages, the better it is.”

To watch and read more about Pope Francis’ catechesis, see this Catholic News Agency article.