Pope’s lunch with the poor: fragility as a source of strength for communities

By Antonella Palermo

Hope, welcome, and inclusion are the values that inspired the organizers of the initiative “Lunch with the Pope,” which will take place on Saturday, July 11 in the Pontifical gardens of Castel Gandolfo.

Two hundred people—including 35 children—living in vulnerable circumstances and accompanied by the Diocese of Rome and affiliated charitable organizations, will spend an entire day immersed in beauty and lived spirituality against the backdrop of this extraordinary setting.

“This place is especially precious because it was closed to the world for 400 years, then opened by Pope Francis, and today is thrown wide open by Pope Leo. It is now welcoming these people, who for us are the guests of honor,” said Donatella Parisi, Communications Coordinator of the Laudato Si’ Higher Education Center.

The day will begin with a Mass celebrated by Cardinal Fabio Baggio, Director General of the Laudato Si’ Center for Higher Education, and concelebrated by Archbishop Luis Marín de San Martín, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity.

Afterwards, guests will enjoy refreshments and a guided tour led by the Laudato Si’ Village (“Borgo Laudato Si’”) staff.

The Church is a family, open to everyone

The Laudato Si’ Village tells “so much of Rome’s history, with the remains of Emperor Domitian’s villa, and of the Popes, who have come here to rest since the 17th century,” Parisi continued.

“It is also immersed in the beauty of nature, with a botanical park containing more than 4,000 plants from over 300 different species.”

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This treasure of beauty and harmony is now opening its doors as a symbol of a Church without barriers. “The message is that the Church should always be open to everyone, especially to those living on the existential peripheries,” she explained.

“Pope Leo repeats this often, and we see this event as a stop that follows his journey to Lampedusa, where he drew the world’s attention to this small island in the middle of the Mediterranean that has become the unwilling witness to thousands of deaths at sea—people searching for a better future, often fleeing wars, poverty, and social injustice.”

“So today, on the eve of this event,” Parisi continued, “we reaffirm that the Church is open to everyone and is a family, a community, and a safe harbor for those who need it most.”

Those in need change our perspective

The organizers hope that every year this initiative can welcome people from a different diocese. Last year for example the participants came from the Diocese of Albano – where Castel Gandolfo is located – while this year they are coming from Rome.

“There will be refugees, single mothers with children, people who completed training courses at the Laudato Si’ Village and are returning to celebrate a journey that now looks with renewed confidence toward integration and employment. There will also be people with disabilities. Those present will represent the part of society and of the Church that often is considered as ‘those in need,’” Parisi highlighted.

“In reality, what we experience every day here at the Laudato Si’ Village is that these very people are the ones who give. They give their all and they enrich the Village and, I would even say, the whole Church through their presence and through their call for a different way of looking at society—a perspective that points to fragility as a new source of strength for our communities.”

The lunch has been generously donated by the Rome restaurant “L’Isola della Pizza,” while the morning refreshments have been provided by the “Bar Duomo in Albano, which is closely involved in the Laudato Si’ Village project.

“It is a beautiful testimony of generosity and support for an initiative like this,” Parisi emphasized. The menu will feature Italian cuisine while also being mindful of guests from different cultural backgrounds.

Creatures among creatures

The initiative reflects the Pope’s deep appreciation for Castel Gandolfo and the Laudato Si’ Village.

“The Holy Father loves the Papal Gardens and follows this project very closely,” Parisi said, recalling how he met at the Vatican on June 19th the participations of the first edition of the “Borgo Laudato Si’ Dialogues”

The gathering brought together representatives from numerous international businesses and industries to discuss how production processes and workplaces can become more sustainable, enabling people to be “ever more responsible and ever less domineering.”

The inspiration—already present in Pope Francis’ encyclicals and reaffirmed in Magnifica Humanitas—remains the same: to recognize ourselves as “creatures among creatures.”