By Pope Hosts Lunch at the Vatican to Mark World Day of Poor
Pope Hosts Lunch at the Vatican to Mark World Day of Poor
By Marie
The pope sat with them in the Vatican’s large audience hall, where they were served by volunteer waiters and waitresses. The pope’s guests were brought to the Vatican by different charity groups that help them daily.
Earlier, in the homily of a Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, where many of them sat in the front rows, Pope Francis called on people who are more fortunate “to break through that inner deafness which prevents us from hearing the stifled cry of pain of the frailest” in society.
“If our heart is deadened and indifferent, we cannot hear their faint cry of pain, we cannot cry with them and for them, we cannot see how much loneliness and anguish also lie hidden in the forgotten corners of our cities,” he said.
Other initiatives at the Vatican coinciding with the World Day of the Poor included health services offered throughout the week in St. Peter’s Square for the disadvantaged.Those struggling with poverty often have difficulty or the impossibility of accessing medical care. The mobile clinic facilities in St. Peter’s Square are providing medical checkups and medicines, including screening and treatments for HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis.The services have returned to the square after a two-year halt due to restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.Food parcels for 5,000 families were also distributed via the network of parishes in Rome.Parish priests who requested this help received food items to serve the families in their areas needing this help.Italy’s Elite Supermarket chain donated products totalling: 10 tons of pasta, 5 tons of rice, flour, sugar, salt and coffee, and five thousand litres of oil and milk. Each parcel brings together an assortment of food basics for households.Finally, outreach to assist families struggling with high energy bills due to worsened by rapid inflation in recent months is also being provided.ALSO READ Pope Celebrates Mass in North America’s Oldest Catholic SanctuaryDiscover more from Church News
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