Jubilee of the Poor

Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said:

“When a poor person dies of hunger, it has not happened because God did not take care of him or her. It has happened because neither you nor I wanted to give that person what he or she needed”.

Poverty is not simply a statistic, stories about the “poor” are not simply something to fill column inches on a slow news day, to be read about and then forgotten. To quote the words of Pope Leo XIV in his Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te: 

“No Christian can regard the poor simply as a societal problem; they are part of our “family”. They are “one of us””.

A few days after his election, Pope Francis explained to journalists why he had chosen the name Francis: 

“During the election, I was seated next to the Archbishop Emeritus of São Paolo and Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for the Clergy, Cardinal Claudio Hummes: a good friend, a good friend! When things were looking dangerous, he encouraged me. And when the votes reached two thirds, there was the usual applause, because the Pope had been elected. And he gave me a hug and a kiss, and said: “Don't forget the poor!” And those words came to me: the poor, the poor. Then, right away, thinking of the poor, I thought of Francis of Assisi”.

Don't forget the poor.

This retreat is an opportunity for us to participate in the Jubilee of the Poor through prayer and reflection. The Jubilee celebration in Rome will include a pilgrimage to the Holy Door of St Peter's Basilica and Mass in St Peter's Square on 16 November, presided over by Pope Leo XIV, on the 9^th World Day of the Poor. After Mass, the Dicastery for the Service of Charity will host a special lunch with Pope Leo XIV in the Paul VI Audience Hall.

In his first teaching document, Dilexi te, Pope Leo XIV wrote: 

“The fact that some dismiss or ridicule charitable works, as if they were an obsession on the part of a few and not the burning heart of the Church's mission, convinces me of the need to go back and re-read the Gospel, lest we risk replacing it with the wisdom of this world. The poor cannot be neglected if we are to remain within the great current of the Church's life that has its source in the Gospel and bears fruit in every time and place.”

May the Jubilee of the Poor be an opportunity for us to commit ourselves once again to the service of all those in need.

The Programme

In preparation for and to coincide with the Jubilee event in Rome, some reflections will be posted 14 - 16 November 2025 to help us participate with the pilgrims of hope gathered in Rome.

Join us as pilgrims of hope for this special Jubilee event of 2025.