Pope to have lunch with 200 poor people from Rome in Castel Gandolfo
Pope Leo is due to share a meal with around 200 poor people from the Diocese of Rome at Borgo Laudato si' in Castel Gandolfo on Saturday.
3 months ago
Pope Leo XIV will host a lunch for about 200 people living in poverty and social vulnerability from the Diocese of Rome during his July stay at the Apostolic Palace of Castel Gandolfo. The gathering, scheduled for Saturday July 11, combines a Mass, a guided visit to the ecological project Borgo Laudato Si’, and a communal meal with the Holy Father. 2
The day will open with the celebration of the “Missa pro custodia creationis” (Mass for the Care of Creation), an addition to the Roman Missal introduced by Pope Leo XIV that emphasizes integral ecology. After Mass, participants will tour Borgo Laudato Si’, the Holy See’s ecological initiative in the Pontifical Gardens, before sharing the lunch. 3
The 200 guests will be drawn from homeless and socially fragile populations assisted by parishes, Caritas of Rome, the Community of Sant’Egidio, Centro Astalli, ACLI Rome, the Vincentian Family, and other local Catholic charities. They will be accompanied throughout the day by members of the Christian communities of Rome. 2 3
The lunch follows a precedent set on 17 August 2025, when Pope Leo XIV shared a meal with people in poverty from the Diocese of Albano. That experience led the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education to establish the event as an annual gathering, rotating the invited diocese each year. 2
Organizers describe the lunch as a concrete sign of the Pope’s pastoral style—bringing the Church close to the human and social peripheries. By linking ecological stewardship with solidarity for the poor, the event embodies the integral ecology theme that has shaped Leo XIV’s teachings since his election. 3*
Examine Catholic doctrine on charity and ecological stewardship
Catholic doctrine treats charity (love of God and neighbor) as the inner “engine” of Christian moral life—and it also treats ecological stewardship not as a merely technical concern, but as a matter of human dignity, justice, solidarity, and reverence for the Creator.
The Catechism defines charity as a theological virtue: we love God above all things for his own sake, and we love our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God.
This is not only an emotion or a vague benevolence. Charity is the virtue that orders persons toward their proper good: God as the highest good, and neighbor as a real good to be loved for God’s sake.
Caritas in Veritate teaches that charity is at the heart of the Church’s social doctrine and functions as the synthesis of the whole moral law. It gives “real substance” to relationships with God and with neighbor, not only in small circles (family, friends) but also in social, economic, and political life.
So, charity has a public dimension: it is meant to shape institutions, policies, and social priorities—not only individual charitable acts.
The Church insists that charity must not be detached from truth. Caritas in Veritate explicitly warns against “misconstru[ing]” charity and emptying it of meaning, especially in social, juridical, cultural, political, and economic fields—where it can be treated as irrelevant to moral responsibility.
This is developed further by Pope Leo XIV, who highlights Benedict XVI’s insight that development, justice, institutions, and even the market are not neutral realities: they are spaces where “charity in truth” must take historical form, including in the face of inequalities and the environmental crisis.
Charity is not the opposite of justice. John Paul II states that Christ’s disciples, through “witness of fraternal charity,” contribute to “justice, peace and the development of peoples.” He also quotes the Catechism: charity “respects others and their rights,” requires justice, and makes us capable of it.
And charity is concrete: it includes generosity in sharing, not only surplus but also—where needed—one’s necessities.
Finally, charity shows itself especially in the preferential love for the poor. Pope Leo XIV’s Dilexi te presents almsgiving as rooted in theological charity and as true ecclesial communion expressed in communion of goods, even describing the poor as having a particular connection to Christ.
John Paul II’s Pastores gregis addresses the ethical dimension of the “ecological question.” In its deepest sense, care for creation belongs to a globalization of solidarity.
It also interprets ecological harm as a moral failure: the “most profound and serious indication of the moral implications” in environmental pollution is the lack of respect for life, and it criticizes patterns where “interests of production prevail over the dignity of workers” and where economic interests take priority over persons and even peoples.
In short: ecological disorder is not only “out there” in nature—it is intertwined with disorder in the human heart and society.
Pastores gregis insists that the response cannot be limited to a “physical ecology” that only protects habitats of living beings. What is called for is human ecology, able to protect the “radical good of life” in all its forms and to leave future generations an environment as close as possible to the Creator’s plan.
This leads to the concept of stewardship: viewing human beings at the center of creation as stewards of the Creator.
A concrete moral conversion is required: Pope Francis is cited (through the U.S. bishops’ summary) as calling for an “ecological conversion,” described as the effects of encountering Jesus Christ becoming visible in one’s relationship with the world.
The U.S. Catholic bishops also specify stewardship as a duty of faith and a sign of concern for others—especially the poor—who suffer “the gravest effects of all attacks on the environment,” including displacement under environmental degradation.
So ecological stewardship is not simply a matter of environmental aesthetics or personal preference; it is a demand of charity and justice toward those who are most harmed.
Because charity shapes both micro-relationships and macro-relationships (economic and political life), ecological stewardship fits naturally within charity’s scope.
If ecological degradation often results from prioritizing production or profit over human dignity, then protecting creation becomes an act of charity that defends life and refuses contempt for the human person.
Pope Leo XIV explicitly links charity to the environmental crisis by describing an invitation to evaluate models of development for their ability to be inclusive and sustainable, and to rebuild economic and political life on the common good—so that charity can find expression in institutions and public life.
This shows a doctrinal bridge:
Pope Leo XIV frames the Church’s social vision as a “civilization of love,” insisting that it is not a naive utopia: it is a demanding project of translating charity into structures of justice, giving institutional form to fraternity, and treating others as allies for the common good.
Ecological stewardship, properly understood, therefore aligns with:
The Church’s ecological ethics includes a clear anthropological warning: ecological pollution and destruction are described as resulting from a vision that can lead to “genuine contempt for man.”
Therefore, while creation care is real and urgent, it must remain human-centered in the sense of human ecology—protecting human life in all manifestations—rather than losing sight of the human person’s dignity.
Because the poor bear disproportionate environmental harm, charity gives ecological stewardship a preferential option: care for creation is also care for those suffering now (e.g., gravest environmental effects, displacement) and a moral responsibility toward those who will live later.
Pastores gregis speaks of an “ecological conversion” as what is called for, including teaching about the correct relationship between human beings and nature.
And the bishops’ summary emphasizes that ecological conversion is tied to the effects of faith and charity becoming visible in how one relates to the world.
Catholic doctrine teaches that charity is the heart of Christian social ethics—a love that must be united to truth and expressed in both personal and public life.
Ecological stewardship, in turn, is treated as a moral duty rooted in human dignity, respect for life, solidarity (especially with the poor), and ecological conversion that leaves future generations an environment aligned with the Creator’s plan.