Pope Francis: The poor ‘continue to wait’ for the Church, governments to take action

Vatican City, Nov 17, 2024 / 13:46 pm

Pope Francis was joined by thousands of pilgrims in the Vatican on Sunday to celebrate the eighth annual World Day of the Poor to renew the Church’s commitment to “be close to the suffering” through spiritual and material works of charity. 

Blessing of 13 keys   

Before the Sunday Mass celebration in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis blessed 13 statues of keys, representing the 13 Houses Campaign of the FamVin Homeless Alliance as a sign of solidarity and the Church’s dedication to care for the poor and marginalized.

Each of the 13 “keys” blessed by the pope is dedicated to a specific country in which the FamVin Homeless Alliance — a charitable organization founded in 2017 and inspired by the legacy of St. Vincent de Paul — has built a home dedicated to the poor: in Syria, Australia, Brazil, Cambodia, the Central African Republic, Chile, Costa Rica, Italy, Senegal, Tanzania, Tonga, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.

Throughout the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, families from each of these 13 countries will meet with Pope Francis and receive the blessed statue dedicated to the poor of their country. 

Sunday Mass and Angelus in the Vatican

During his homily and Angelus address, the Holy Father repeated his plea for Catholics to show their closeness to the poor through gestures of care infused with human warmth and tenderness.

“[To] those who give alms I always ask two things,” the pope said to the thousands of pilgrims gathered inside St. Peter’s Basilica for the eighth annual World Day of the Poor Mass. The theme of the commemoration was “The Prayer of the Poor Rises Up to God.” 

“Do you really touch the hands of these people or do you just throw the coins into their hands? Do you look into their eyes when you are giving some help and doing alms — do you look directly in their eyes or are you looking somewhere else?” he asked.     

Amid the “hour of darkness” — times of desolation and anguish — described in Sunday’s Gospel and readings, Pope Francis said, “a great proclamation of hope” is truly present for those who have put their trust in God.

“Jesus invites us to have a deeper look, to have eyes capable of reading within the events of history,” he explained. “An unshakable hope shines forth on this World Day of the Poor!”

Warning against the temptation of despair, laziness, and despondency, the pope said “we cannot condemn ourselves to powerlessness” in the face of poverty, inequality, and injustice. 

Pope Francis stressed that the poor and marginalized “have no choice but to continue to wait” and urged the Church to work with governments and international organizations to support them.

“Otherwise, the Christian faith is reduced into a harmless devotion that does not disturb the powers that be and is incapable of generating a serious commitment to charity,” the pontiff said. 

After praying the Angelus in Latin with the crowd gathered in St. Peter’s Square, the pope reiterated his homily message to live in solidarity with the poor through prayer and action, especially for “families who struggle to make ends meet.”

“Dear brothers and sisters, let us not forget that the poor cannot wait.”

Sunday lunch with 1,300 guests   

Following Sunday Mass and the Angelus, 1,300 economically disadvantaged men, women, and children living in Rome joined Pope Francis for lunch inside the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall.

The Italian Red Cross provided both meals and entertainment at this year’s World Day of the Poor luncheon with the pope. Three hundred forty volunteers served guests lasagna with vegetables, beef meatloaf with spinach and cheese, potatoes, fruit, and dessert.

Priests of the Congregation of the Mission, also known as the Vincentian Fathers, gifted each guest with backpacks containing food and hygiene items to bring home with them after their lunch with the pope.