Pope Leo to Have Lunch with 200 Poor People at Castel Gandolfo

VATICAN, July 8, 206:Pope Leo will host around 200 poor people from Rome for lunch at Borgo Laudato si' in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo on Saturday, July 11, as part of the initiative "Lunch with the Pope."

The initiative will begin with the celebration of the Eucharist using the Liturgy for the Care of Creation, before participants are welcomed to Borgo Laudato si' for a guided visit and a shared meal with the Holy Father.

The event builds on an initiative first held in August 2025, when Pope Leo had lunch with poor people from the Diocese of Albano, Italy. It has since become an annual event promoted by the Laudato si' Centre for Higher Education, which oversees the development of the Borgo *Laudato si'* project.

Each year, a different diocese will be invited to bring together poor people, refugees, migrants and others experiencing difficulties, giving them the opportunity to spend a day immersed in the beauty of creation and to meet the Pope.

This year's gathering is being organised jointly by the Laudato si' Centre for Higher Education, the Dicastery for the Service of Charity and the Diocese of Rome. It will bring together Church institutions and organisations that accompany vulnerable people throughout the Italian capital.

Care for Creation and Care for People

Cardinal Fabio Baggio, Director General of the Laudato si' Centre for Higher Education, said Borgo Laudato si' was established to demonstrate that "the care of creation and the care of the human person are one and the same mission."

He described the initiative as another step in Pope Leo's outreach to those living on the social peripheries, saying the encounter reaffirms the Church's vocation to be present wherever human dignity calls for "listening, closeness, and hope."

Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, said the Pope's decision underscores that authentic charity is expressed through "closeness, encounter, and sharing."

"When the Church places the most vulnerable people at the centre," he said, "it makes the Gospel visible and bears witness that no one is on the margins of God's heart."

Annual Initiative for the Vulnerable

Cardinal Baldassare Reina, the Pope's Vicar General for the Diocese of Rome, explained that those invited are people who are accompanied daily by parishes, Caritas and numerous ecclesial and social organisations across the city.

"The encounter with the Holy Father restores centrality to those who too often remain on the margins," he said, adding that it is also a call for the entire Christian community to embrace the responsibility of welcome.

The organisers said the initiative reflects the mission of Borgo Laudato si', where care for creation, human development and Christian formation come together through concrete experiences of encounter, participation and faith.

They also noted that the event has been made possible through the support of numerous Catholic charities, parish communities and volunteer organisations serving people experiencing vulnerability across Rome, together with local businesses that have donated breakfast and lunch for the occasion.

Courtesy: Vatican News