Pope Leo XIV released his message for the 10th World Day of the Poor, to be observed on Nov. 15.
Reflecting on Psalm 14, “The Lord is the refuge of the poor,” the pope notes that these words were written during a dramatic period marked by the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, when the people “felt deprived of God’s presence and experienced unprecedented material and moral misery.”
In his message released on June 14 and dated June 13, the feast of St. Anthony of Padua, Pope Leo observes that Psalm 14 continues to speak to every generation.
The opening verses, he says, points to the contrast between those who live wisely and those who “go through life as if there were nothing greater than themselves.”
“Sadly,” he writes, “we see that even today there is widespread social injustice arising from arrogant corruption, which is as deplorable as it is discriminatory.”
The pope goes on to note that the consequences often fall first upon the poor, whose numbers continue to grow in many societies.
“The absence of God no longer places people side by side in mutual respect,” he says, “but places one above the other in a relationship of domination and oppression.”
Pope Leo warns that the cry of the poor is often silenced through “a multitude of increasingly subtle tactics,” while the digital world can worsen prejudice and reinforce indifference.
“The poor have no choice but to cry out to God,” he writes, adding that they entrust themselves to him “certain that they will be heard because God is faithful and rich in mercy.”
In his message, Pope Leo says that the poor are often more capable than others of recognizing what is essential because “they live on the essentials.”
For this reason, he says, they are especially able to recognize God as their refuge and place their hope in his justice.
Reflecting on contemporary poverty, Pope Leo says that “the poor of our day are the forgotten and the marginalized: robbed not only of bread, but also of a voice and a face.”
With this in mind, he prays that they may encounter Christ, particularly through Christians and through the church, where “it is Jesus who offers bread and friendship; He brings light and opens a horizon of hope; He calls each person by name and restores dignity to all.”
Pope Leo goes on to stress that Christians are called not only to seek refuge in God, but also “to be a refuge for the poor”.
He says the Christian community “cannot remain indifferent to the many who today stand at the door but remain invisible to those who are shut within their own walls.”
Recalling St. Augustine’s commentary on the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Pope Leo invites the faithful to examine their own lives and priorities.
He cites his apostolic exhortation “Dilexi Te,” reaffirming that “God shows a preference for the poor” and that the church “must be a church of the Beatitudes, one that makes room for the little ones and walks poor with the poor.”
“We wish to bear witness,” the pope writes, bringing his message to a close, “that it is possible, even today, to experience the same joy by putting ourselves in the shoes of the poor and listening to them rather than merely speaking about them.”
Finally, he expresses hope that the 10th World Day of the Poor will help Christians “rediscover the faces of so many brothers and sisters who seek refuge in God and long to feel at home in our communities.”