Pope at Maison Bakhita: ‘No one is so poor as to have nothing to give’

By Devin Watkins

On Saturday, the second day of his Apostolic Journey to France, Pope Leo XIV paid a visit to the Maison Bakhita centre in Paris, which offers support and social integration services to migrants and refugees.

Speaking to people assisted by the centre, the Pope expressed his gratitude to the Archdiocese of Paris, which runs the facility, and the many volunteers and staff who offer “welcome, a listening ear, formation, and friendship.”

He pointed to the centre’s patron saint, St. Josephine Bakhita, a former slave who became a religious sister in Italy, as an inspiration to recognize “the fundamental role of women in building a civilization of love, which is an alternative to a culture that tears communities apart and leaves cities sick with loneliness.”

“When we look closely, the history of the Church and of humanity is not written by those who give the impression of winning by imposing themselves and ‘dominating the room,’ but by those who “make room,” initiate processes of peace, build trust, and encourage life,” he said.

Read the full text of the Pope’s homily

Pope Leo said St. Bakhita shows us how to look past our modern economy that can enslave to see those who are invisible and honor the “immeasurable dignity of every brother and sister.”

The poor, he said, are not a sociological category for Christians but “the very flesh of Christ,” who invites us to practice charity and to love them.

Pope Leo visits the Maison Bakhita integration centre   (@Vatican Media)

The Pope encouraged everyone to exchange both spiritual and material gifts which we have received from God.

“No one is so poor as to have nothing to give; no one is so rich as to have nothing to receive,” he said. “There is life in abundance wherever each person’s limitations become an opening to the mysterious presence of others, in whom the Other par excellence—the God of life—draws near.”

By sharing with one another, we move past the hardship that sin has introduced into history and learn that redemption is an ongoing process open to all.

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Every member of the Christian body has need of every other member, said the Pope, citing St. Paul’s Letter to the Corinthians (1 Cor 12:21-22).

As he spoke to Christians residing in one of the richest and most culturally diverse cities of the ancient Roman world, St. Paul noted that God has arranged things so that the greater honor belongs to the “inferior member, that there may be no dissention within the body, but the members may have the same care for one another.”

In conclusion, Pope Leo XIV thanked the Maison Bakhita and all Christians who carry out similar works of charity throughout France.

“Continue to bear witness,” he said, “to that care for one another which, through fraternal welcome, programs of formation, and dialogue with the city, elevates the spirit and makes the world more humane.”