Pope Leo XIV calls on heads of state to address poverty and injustice during Jubilee of the Poor, warning peace requires justice for all
VATICAN CITY: Pope Leo XIV has urged world leaders not to neglect the poor during celebrations marking the Church’s Jubilee of the Poor.
The US pontiff made social justice a central theme of his address during Sunday’s mass at St Peter’s Basilica.
He described the Church as “still wounded by old and new forms of poverty” but hoping to be “mother of the poor, a place of welcome and justice”.
The celebration coincided with the World Day of the Poor, an annual observance begun by Pope Francis in 2017.
Following the mass, Pope Leo attended a Vatican lunch with homeless people, refugees and disabled individuals.
“I urge Heads of State and the leaders of nations to listen to the cry of the poorest,” the pope declared during his homily.
He warned that “there can be no peace without justice” and criticised progress that “does not take everyone into account”.
The pontiff also highlighted “many moral and spiritual situations of poverty” that result in loneliness.
He encouraged believers to reach out to marginalised people and become “witnesses of God’s tenderness”.
During his Angelus prayer in St Peter’s Square, Pope Leo denounced persecution against Christians in Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique and Sudan.
He specifically mentioned recent violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo, praying for families in Kivu after “a massacre of civilians”.
Officials confirmed an attack by the Allied Democratic Forces left at least 18 people dead in a village north of Goma.
The Islamic State-affiliated group carried out the assault overnight Friday into Saturday. – AFP
