Pope Leo XIV breaks bread with society’s margins

Pope Leo XIV ended his summer retreat in a way that few world or religious leaders would — by celebrating Mass with the poor and then sharing lasagna, roast veal and a homemade dessert called “Dolce Leone” with more than a hundred homeless people, refugees and Caritas volunteers.

The Sunday gathering at Borgo Laudato Si’, the Vatican’s environmental center outside Rome, marked the close of his Castel Gandolfo retreat. Guests included a Peruvian refugee family and an elderly Roman woman, symbols of the diverse realities of poverty and displacement.

In his homily, the pope praised “the fire of charity” that sustains both giver and receiver. His actions added weight to his words: instead of delivering a speech from afar, he sat side by side with those society often ignores.

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