Pope Francis Invites 1,300 Poor to Lunch for World Day of the Poor

The Vatican announced that Pope Francis will celebrate World Day of the Poor with over 1,000 of the poor people of Rome, who will join him for lunch after he has presided over Holy Mass.
This has become a tradition of Pope Francis, to lunch with some of the poor people of Rome, as he, along with the global Church, celebrate World Day of the Poor. This year’s Sunday lunch, is organized by the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, on behalf of Pope Francis and the Church, in collaboration with the Italian Red Cross, and will take place inside the Paul VI Hall.
This marks the eighth time, since the Pope established the day in 2017, as over 1,300 poor people are scheduled to join Pope Francis for lunch.
The celebration falls on the third Sunday of November, on the 17th and will officially begin with Holy Mass, presided over by Pope Francis, in St Peter’s Basilica.
However, shortly prior to the Eucharistic celebration, the Pope will have blessed 13 keys, each symbolically representing thirteen countries where the Vicentians will be inaugurating their “13 Houses” project. The project consists in building new homes for disadvantaged people in thirteen different countries. There, various charitable initiatives will take place, such as covering utility bills for low-income families through parish connections. One of the countries welcoming this new project is Syria, which has been forgotten by much of western media as it continues to suffer the devastating effects of almost two decades of conflict.
In his message for the 2024 World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis noted that war-driven "bad politics" generates new poverty and innocent victims. He urged everyone to pray with and for the poor, and highlighted that volunteers continue to devote themselves to serving the poorest in our cities, embodying God’s response to the cries of those in need.
This year, in particular, the motto chosen by the Pope is taken from the book of Sirach: "The prayer of the poor rises to God" (Sirach 21:5). This motto emphasises that the poor hold a special place in God's heart. He hears their prayers and becomes "impatient" in their suffering until justice is done. The Book of Sirach confirms that "God's judgment will be in favour of the poor" (21:5).
The World Day of the Poor encourages the Church to "step outside" its walls and engage with poverty in its many forms in today's world.
Free tickets for Mass on the 17th of November will be available from the 13th of November at the Official Jubilee Information Point on Via della Conciliazione, 7.