Rome: Pope Leo XIV presided over Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday to commemorate the Jubilee of the Poor, calling on world leaders to open their ears and hearts to the suffering of the most vulnerable. Around 6,000 pilgrims filled the Basilica, while the Pope personally greeted some 20,000 faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square before the liturgy.
He invited those following from the square to unite spiritually with the celebration “with deep faith and great love, knowing we are one in Christ.”
In his homily, Pope Leo reflected on the nearing close of the liturgical year. The readings, he noted, increasingly direct believers toward the ultimate fulfilment of history.
He drew from the prophet Malachi, who portrays the end times as God’s moment a dawning in which the “sun of righteousness” rises to vindicate the hopes of the poor while sweeping away the injustice that oppresses them.
Jesus Himself, the Pope said, is this radiant “sun of righteousness”: the power of God at work throughout every dramatic chapter of human history.
Christians, Pope Leo urged, should not allow fear to take root. The Lord safeguards His people even ensuring that not a single hair is lost without His care. “In the storms of persecution, in personal struggles, and within the injustices of society,” he said, “God does not abandon us. In Jesus, His nearness becomes complete love. That is why Christ’s presence is joy and jubilee for the poor.”
He recalled the opening line of his first Apostolic Exhortation: Dilexi te ‘I have loved you’. The Church, he said, lives this love by being a mother to the poor, creating spaces of justice, welcome, and dignity.
Pope Leo spoke of the many layers of poverty afflicting the world material deprivation, moral loss, and spiritual emptiness, particularly among the young. Amid these hardships, loneliness stands out as the most painful thread.
“It pushes us to adopt a holistic view of poverty,” he said. “Meeting urgent needs is essential, but we must also foster a culture of attention to break down the walls of isolation.”
He encouraged believers to be attentive and compassionate wherever they find themselves online, at work, or within families becoming signs of God’s tenderness.
Addressing the global landscape, Pope Leo lamented the many conflicts tearing nations apart and feeding the impression that humanity is powerless. This “globalization of helplessness,” he said, is built on a lie the idea that history cannot change. “The Gospel reveals the opposite,” he insisted. “It is precisely in the world’s upheavals that the Lord enters to save.”
Pope Leo made a strong appeal to international leaders: listen to the poor. Their cries expose societies where promises of progress leave countless people behind. “There can be no peace without justice,” he said. “The poor remind us of this daily through migration, through their unheard voices, through the suffering hidden beneath illusions of prosperity.”
The Pope also thanked volunteers, social workers, and charitable organizations who embody the Church’s solidarity through concrete acts of care. Their efforts, he said, reflect the heart of Christian faith.
Pope Leo closed by urging all Christians to help build a world where human relationships are shaped by fraternity and dignity, without exclusion.
He entrusted this mission to the Blessed Virgin Mary: “May Mary teach us the Kingdom’s way of thinking, so that God’s love which welcomes, heals, forgives, and consoles may shine through our lives.”