During the World Day of the Poor, the displaced and the forgotten, Pope Leo XIV shares a meal with 1,300 guests at the Vatican, urging the Church, especially in Asia, to make compassion a way of life.
The event, held in the Paul VI Hall on November 16, 2025, was organized by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity together with the Vincentian Family, marking the 400th anniversary of St. Vincent de Paul, patron of charity.
A Meal of Gratitude and Grace
The aroma of lasagna and fruit from Naples filled the hall, but it was gratitude that nourished most deeply.
“With great joy we gather for this meal on this day so dearly desired by my beloved predecessor, Pope Francis,” said Pope Leo XIV, inviting warm applause for the Pope Emeritus who instituted this annual celebration.
“Let us bless the Lord for the food we receive and for all who suffer from violence, war, and hunger,” Pope Leo prayed, extending his blessing beyond the Vatican’s walls to those enduring poverty and displacement around the world.
Faith in Action: A Model for a World of Inequality — From Rome to Asia
This simple yet profound act of sharing a meal reveals the spiritual and social framework of the Church’s mission, to serve the poor not as an act of pity, but as an encounter of equals in dignity. It is a message that resonates deeply across Asia, where millions struggle each day for food, shelter, and hope.
From Manila’s street dwellers to India’s slum communities, from refugee camps in Thailand to fishing villages in Indonesia, the Pope’s gesture echoes a powerful truth: “The poor are not problems to solve, but persons to love.”
The Vincentians, who served at the tables and prepared care packages for each guest, embodied this vision through humble and joyful service. Their example mirrors countless Asian parishes and religious communities engaged in feeding programs, micro-credit initiatives, and social apostolates, works that uphold the poor not as beneficiaries, but as brothers and sisters in God’s family.
The World Day of the Poor, instituted by Pope Francis in 2017, has become a global reminder that every Eucharist must flow into acts of compassion, and every parish must become a “home of mercy.”
In this sense, Pope Leo’s lunch with the poor was not just an event, but a framework for discipleship, a concrete invitation to make love visible through service.
A Call to Communion
As the lunch ended, Pope Leo encouraged his guests to take home fruit from Naples, a small but meaningful sign that care does not end with the meal.
This moment captured more than charity; it revealed the heart of the Gospel itself, that to follow Christ is to share life with the poor.
From the Vatican to the villages of Asia, this message remains timeless and urgent:
“Faith without love is incomplete, and love without service is unfulfilled.”
May every parish, school, and community in Asia draw inspiration from this act of communion to look after the poor not from a distance but from the table of encounter, where every meal becomes a celebration of fraternity, and every person a reflection of God’s face.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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