Pope Leo XIV shared a meal with more than 1,300 poor people in a gesture that marked his nascent pontificate
The Paul VI Audience Hall in the Vatican, a regular venue for papal meetings and speeches, was transformed for a day into a large soup kitchen to welcome more than 1,300 people living in poverty. There, where historic speeches are so often heard, a lunch filled with humanity and the Gospel was served. It was the first meal of the World Day of the Poor presided over by Pope Leo XIV, a gesture that inaugurated his pontificate by underscoring the centrality of the most vulnerable in the life of the Church. Among the volunteers was Sister Encarnación García of the Daughters of Charity, who still speaks with emotion when describing the joy of the guests: “They experienced it as a true gift from heaven.”
"That day, those who are usually invisible regained the light and dignity of feeling loved."
A lunch that made the tenderness of the Gospel visible
The scene was deeply symbolic: long tables draped in white tablecloths, immaculate silverware, crystal glasses, and an atmosphere reminiscent of a grand celebration. For those who usually eat in shelters, parks, or makeshift soup kitchens, this attention to detail was a powerful act of dignity. There, amidst simple dishes prepared with care—lasagna, breaded veal cutlet with baked tomato, and Neapolitan babà—faces hardened by the cold of the streets transformed into surprised smiles.
“They were radiant,” recounts Sister Encarnación, who traveled from Spain with other Vincentian nuns and twelve other people accompanied by her institution. For many of them, this trip was their first time abroad, an experience they lived “as if they were true pilgrims,” visiting basilicas and exploring Rome with renewed wonder.
The luncheon was organized by the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity to mark the 400th anniversary of the birth of their founder, an event they wished to celebrate in communion with those to whom Saint Vincent de Paul consecrated his life: the poor.
The Pope's closeness and the emotion that overflowed the tables
The presence of Leo XIV left an indelible mark. According to the nun, several of the guests spontaneously approached him to greet him. The Pope not only allowed them to approach, but blessed them one by one, with a look that brought tears to their eyes and a sense of inner peace.
That gesture became the most talked-about image of the encounter: a Pope listening, touching trembling hands, smiling at those who almost never receive a word of affection. “Seeing that affection from the Pope is deeply moving,” says Sister Encarnación, who was serving two people seated at the same table as the Pontiff.
The Eucharist celebrated earlier in St. Peter's Basilica added a crucial spiritual component. Five of those accompanied by the community were able to occupy places of honor during the Mass, a simple detail but full of meaning for those who, so often, have felt relegated even in churches. "Their faith was illuminated," the nun confessed.
A day to remember that human dignity is not negotiable
The luncheon made it clear that the World Day of the Poor, instituted by Pope Francis in 2016, continues to grow as a concrete expression of the heart of the Church. For Leo XIV, attending for the first time as Pope, the celebration became a meaningful inaugural gesture: placing the poor at the center, not as recipients of assistance, but as brothers and sisters with names, histories, and hopes.
The Paul VI Hall, transformed into a festive dining room, allowed everyone to experience an unexpected atmosphere of fraternity. “They felt welcomed, respected… there was a closeness that cannot be expressed in words,” the nun recalls.
Several children joined in the meal, running between the tables and enlivening an atmosphere that blended emotion, gratitude, and a calm that was difficult to describe. For many of those present, that carefully prepared meal—without haste, without queues, without street noise—was a liberating experience: a moment in which the Church not only spoke of dignity, but made it visible.
“All people have the same dignity,” Sister Encarnación insists with a gentle firmness, the fruit of someone who has seen how pastoral tenderness transforms lives. And that day, from Rome, those who so often walk unseen experienced for a few hours the welcome of a large family.
A meal, a gesture, a message: the Church is only faithful to the Gospel when it places those who suffer most at its center. And that lunch at the Vatican was, for many, a true touch from God.
EWTN Staff
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