Castel Gandolfo: In the quiet beauty of the Pontifical Villas’ gardens, beneath a large white gazebo, Pope Leo XIV sat down for a simple but profound meal with more than a hundred poor and vulnerable people supported by Caritas Albano. Before the lunch began, he reminded everyone present that the greatest wonder of creation is not the mountains, rivers, or stars but the human person made in God’s image.
“Each one of us,” the Pope said, speaking from the heart, “is a reflection of God’s presence. We must never forget that we encounter Him in every face we meet. That is why this meal together is not just a gathering it is communion, it is fraternity, it is God walking among us.”
The lunch, organized by the Diocese of Albano Laziale and the Borgo Laudato Si’, brought together the homeless, residents of shelters, and those supported by diocesan listening centers. For the Pope, the act of breaking bread together carried a deeply spiritual meaning: “It is the same gesture of the Holy Mass, a recognition that Jesus Christ is here, in our midst, when we share the gifts of the Lord.”
Before blessing the food, Pope Leo prayed for those who prepared the meal, for those who serve the poor daily, and for all gathered, asking God to keep them united in His love.
Cardinal Fabio Baggio, Director General of the Laudato Si’ Center, told those assembled that this day was the living embodiment of Pope Francis’ vision: “The Borgo Laudato Si’ is not only a place, it is a way of living the Gospel. Its first doors open to the poor and the excluded, because authentic ecology and justice cannot exist without charity.”
Bishop Vincenzo Viva of Albano welcomed the Pope, noting that in the faces of the poor present was “the beauty of the Gospel made visible.” He underlined that there were no benefactors or beneficiaries that day only brothers and sisters sharing bread, stories, and hope.
What began as a meal under the summer sky became something more: a living parable of the Gospel, where the dignity of every person was celebrated as God’s most beautiful creation.