Vatican City: The Vatican is preparing to host a major international gathering later this month as the Fifth World Meeting of Popular Movements convenes in Rome from October 21 to 24, followed by a Jubilee Pilgrimage on October 25 and 26. The event, organized by the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, will bring together representatives of grassroots movements from across the world who work for the rights of the poor, marginalized, and excluded. Participants will be received in audience by Pope Leo XIV on October 23, and the meeting will conclude with a solemn Jubilee Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, October 26, presided over by the Holy Father himself.
This year’s meeting marks the continuation of a remarkable journey between the Catholic Church and the world’s Popular Movements, which began under Pope Francis and now moves forward under the leadership of Pope Leo XIV. The gathering symbolizes the Church’s ongoing dialogue with people at the peripheries workers, farmers, migrants, and communities denied access to land, housing, and basic human rights emphasizing that the mission of the Church is deeply rooted in justice, participation, and fraternity.
Presenting the event at the Holy See Press Office, Cardinal Michael Czerny, SJ, Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, emphasized that authentic development cannot take place without the active participation of the poor. Quoting from Pope Leo’s apostolic exhortation Dilexi te, he reminded that the poor aspire “not simply to survive, but to live with dignity, developing their talents and contributing to society.” The cardinal underlined that progress must be inclusive, warning against any form of paternalism that limits itself to short-term charity or relief. “Solidarity,” he said, “is more than compassion. It is about confronting the structures that perpetuate poverty and inequality. It is a way of making history and this is what the popular movements are doing.”
Don Mattia Ferrari, coordinator of the Encuentro Mundial de Movimientos Populares (EMMP), described the upcoming gathering not as an isolated event but as part of a long journey that began when marginalized communities around the world started walking alongside the Church. He explained that the movements are made up of people deprived of basic necessities land, housing, and dignified work who have organized themselves to resist injustice and build an alternative economy based on solidarity and mutual support. “This meeting,” Don Ferrari said, “marks a milestone, being the first with Pope Leo XIV and the first where delegations are accompanied by their local Churches bishops, priests, religious, and laypeople. It fulfils the dream of Pope Francis that the Church herself should accompany the poor, not as benefactors but as brothers and sisters in faith.”
The programme of the gathering includes several significant moments of encounter and reflection. From October 21 to 24, participants will attend sessions of the World Meeting of Popular Movements at Spin Time Labs in Rome. On October 23, at 4 p.m., they will be received in audience by Pope Leo XIV in the Paul VI Hall. The evenings of October 22 to 24 will feature the Festival at Piazza Vittorio, organized with the support of the City of Rome, creating an open space for dialogue and cultural exchange between citizens, activists, and Church representatives. The event will conclude with the Jubilee Pilgrimage on October 25 and 26, coinciding with the Jubilee of Synodal Teams and Participatory Bodies a symbolic link highlighting the Church’s synodal and missionary character.
Micheline Mwendike Kamate from the Democratic Republic of Congo, representing the voices of those suffering from economic and environmental injustice, spoke about the paradox of her homeland a country rich in natural resources, especially minerals essential for the global energy transition, yet home to millions living in deprivation. “The injustice our people face is the outcome of centuries of structural violence colonization, neocolonialism, and the dictatorship of an economy that kills,” she said. Despite these harsh realities, she expressed unwavering hope: “Together we can build another possible world. Before wars, injustice, and corruption, we still believe that fraternity is possible.”
The Fifth World Meeting of Popular Movements thus stands as a profound witness to the Church’s evolving mission to walk alongside the poor, to listen to their struggles, and to promote a model of development rooted in human dignity and shared responsibility. For Pope Leo XIV, the gathering embodies the spirit of his pontificate: a Church that reaches outward, engaging with those on the margins to shape a world founded on justice, compassion, and fraternity. Through this meeting, the Vatican once again affirms that the Gospel’s message of love cannot be separated from the pursuit of social transformation and equality.