Pope Leo XIV marked the Ninth World Day of the Poor by sharing a simple Sunday meal with more than a thousand guests from around the world. The gathering in the Paul VI Hall carried the warmth of a large family table, where the poor, the displaced, and those living at the margins found themselves welcomed as honored guests. The hall filled with the sounds of Neapolitan music, conversations in many languages, and the joy that arises when those who often feel unseen are treated with dignity.
The Holy Father arrived after the Angelus to join the luncheon, an observance first introduced by Pope Francis as a concrete way to affirm the Church’s closeness to the poor. Pope Leo greeted the crowd and offered thanks to the Vincentian family, whose charism of service guided every detail of the day’s meal. Their volunteers, celebrating the four hundredth anniversary of their founder, moved from table to table with purpose and gentleness, carrying trays of vegetable lasagna, cutlets, fruit from Naples, and the traditional Neapolitan dessert known as babà. Each guest also received a personal care kit and a small panettone to take home.
Before the meal began, Pope Leo invited those present to remember the many people in the world who continue to suffer from violence, war, and hunger. He asked that the meal be lived in a spirit of fraternity, with hearts open to those whom war has displaced and poverty has wounded. The pope’s words resonated deeply in a room filled with stories of hardship, resilience, and faith.
People had come from the outskirts of Rome, from African and Latin American nations, and from places still marked by conflict. The Missionaries of Charity brought mothers and children from their shelter on the edge of the city, including a young mother feeding her infant while her own plate grew cold. Nearby, a woman from southern Italy recounted losing her job after receiving a disability diagnosis, yet she insisted that she strives to keep her dignity and smile each day. Others told of factories that had shut down, family members who had died, or loved ones still facing battles on distant front lines.
Even so, the gathering revealed that hope remains quietly alive. A volunteer from a Franciscan shelter spoke of her conviction that caring for the poor reveals the meaning of life, since the poor reflect the face of Christ in a unique way. A woman from Somalia described arriving in Rome as a child and finding safety among religious sisters. Baptized as a teenager, she now confronts serious illness, yet her humor and desire to work have not dimmed. A woman from Lviv shared her worries for relatives fighting in Ukraine, uncertain when or if she will return home again, but trusting that faith will help her persevere.
Some carried tokens of creativity or gratitude. An artist from Gaeta showed the black-ink sketches he hoped to present to the pope. A woman at the Holy Father’s table brought a Pinocchio comic book she planned to offer him. A young man from Côte d’Ivoire, though not Catholic, expressed gratitude simply to feel at home for an afternoon. Women from Peru, one a widow caring for her elderly mother and her daughter in medical treatment, spoke about their hope for stable housing and their confidence that God continues to place good and generous people along their path.
As the meal concluded, Pope Leo encouraged everyone to take some of the fruit from Naples and to bring home the gift baskets prepared for them. The scene captured the Church’s desire to stand beside the poor not only in word, but in genuine companionship. On this World Day of the Poor, the Holy Father reminded all present that charity is not an abstract idea. It is a table shared, a hand extended, and a community that refuses to let anyone be forgotten.