Pope: Church should be ‘refuge’ for the poor

The Pope’s message was released on Sunday and dated June 13, the feast of St Anthony of Padua. The World Day of the Poor, instituted by Pope Francis, is observed on November 15 in 2026.

In his message, Pope Leo said 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”.

Reflecting on Psalm 14, “The Lord is the refuge of the poor”, the Pope said this passage continues to speak to every generation.

The opening verses, he said, point to the contrast between those who live wisely and those who “go through life as if there were nothing greater than themselves”.

“Sadly,” he wrote, “we see that even today there is widespread social injustice arising from arrogant corruption, which is as deplorable as it is discriminatory.”

The Pope noted 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 said, “but places one above the other in a relationship of domination and oppression.”

The Pope warned 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 wrote, adding that they entrust themselves to God “certain that they will be heard because God is faithful and rich in mercy”.

In his message, Pope Leo said that the poor are often more capable than others of recognising what is essential because “they live on the essentials”. For this reason, he said, they are especially able to recognise God as their refuge and place their hope in his justice.

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Pope’s World Day of Poor message: The Lord is refuge of the poor (Vatican News)