Pope Leo XIV on July 11 expressed a "hunger for justice [and] authentic charity" while attending a lunch with poor people at Castel Gandolfo outside of Rome.
"[I have] a hunger for a Church that truly knows how to open its doors and receive everyone — where there is love for all and no one is an enemy, where we all know how to live out reconciliation, forgiveness, and peace," the pope told the crowd at the lunch, hosted in the gardens of the Borgo Laudato Si'.
Leo pointed out that the historic papal title of "pontiff" means "a builder of bridges."
"Today, we too wish to build a bridge with all of you, with your families, and with the society in which we want to live — but to live with justice, to live where the causes of poverty can be eliminated, where the causes of the injustices that still exist in our world can be removed," he said.
"This is the Church we want to be," he said while thanking the organizers of the lunch, the second such event the pope has hosted since his pontificate began.
"When we gather together, when we experience this spirit of encounter around the table — the very table where Jesus is present with us — we are truly building a different world, a world of hope. Let us strive always to embody this experience of a Church of justice, peace, and love," he said.
Before the pope spoke, Cardinal Fabio Baggio — the incoming pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development — had addressed the gathering.
"At a time when the 'throwaway culture' risks relegating many people to the margins, this place seeks to be a small sign of hope," the cardinal said. "Here, we wish to remind everyone — through our lives rather than just our words — that no one is superfluous in the eyes of God and that every person is a gift to the entire community."
About 200 people facing social vulnerability from the Diocese of Rome attended the lunch with the pope.
On Aug. 17, 2025 the pope hosted a similar lunch with people living in poverty from the Diocese of Albano; he held another such luncheon on Nov. 16 of that year.
This story was first published by ACI Stampa, the Italian-language sister service of EWTN News. It has been translated and adapted by EWTN News English.
