Papal charity point man: Meeting the pope brings back dignity, changes lives of the poor

(OSV News) -- As thousands of those in need flock to Rome for the Jubilee of the Poor Nov. 14-16, Catholics across the globe mark World Day of the Poor Nov. 16, established by Pope Francis to shed light on those in perilous life situations.

The first observance of the day was marked in 2017, following the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, when the late pontiff called the global church to look directly at the suffering of the poor and to place their needs at the center of its mission.

In 2025, Pope Leo XIV has echoed that call.

"Helping the poor is a matter of justice before a question of charity," he said, noting that the goods of the earth and the fruits of human labor are meant to be accessible to all. He urged renewed efforts to confront old and new forms of poverty and emphasized the importance of "labor, education, housing and health" in building lasting security.

On Nov. 13, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, prefect of the Dicastery for the Service of Charity, was busy organizing the Jubilee of the Poor. OSV News reached him when he was driving to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Led by Italian Foreign Affairs Minister Antonio Tajani, the team of the country's diplomats organized a collection of clothes and pantry items -- all to be sent to Kharkiv, Eastern Ukraine, in a special delivery leaving from Rome's Greek Catholic Basilica of Santa Sofia in the coming days.

"It's diplomats from all over the world, busy with their daily assignments, and yet they think of the poor during that Jubilee, this is precisely the power of that Jubilee," the cardinal, who was appointed papal almoner in 2013, said.

The Vatican's charity office runs several initiatives for the Jubilee, including opening a new branch of the outpatient clinic for the needy, operating under the Bernini Colonnade since 2016 in the former building of the Vatican's Post Office.

"Pope Francis told us that people are more important than stamps, so he willingly gave us a place under the colonnade, which was completely unthinkable before as these are historic sites," Cardinal Krajewski said.

He added that up to a 100 people are admitted daily for outpatient services, "and we simply couldn't fit any more," he said. "We have 120 doctors, we have all the equipment we need, including blood analysis and tests, and we need space. That's why we managed to expand it, and it will be inaugurated for the Jubilee," he said of the new space named after St. Martin.

Fabrizio Salvati is one of the editors at L'Osservatore di Strada -- a branch of the famed L'Osservatore Romano focused on reporting on the life and charity around those in need. A professional guitarist, he experienced a turbulent time in his life when he lost his job and found himself in turbulent family times.

A Sant'Egidio community volunteer led him to Palazzo Migliori -- a Roman palace turned homeless shelter right next to Bernini Colonnade.

OSV News first met Salvati following the May conclave. Ahead of the Jubilee of the Poor and after Pope Leo released his first encyclical, "Dilexi Te," focused on those in need, he said that charity is "the core business of church," and that we will see "great, great things" from Pope Leo regarding those who are underprivileged.

Cardinal Krajewski said that while Pope Francis started many initiatives for World Day of the Poor, Pope Leo continues and expands them.

"The Gospel is the same, though popes change," he told OSV News ahead of the lunch for 1,300 people that the Vatican will organize for the poor with the pope.

"Jesus ate with those in great need. And Pope Leo will also come on Sunday after Mass and the Angelus, to the assembly hall, to dine with poor people from all over the world," the cardinal said.

"It will be exactly as it was in Pope Francis' time: the best chairs, the best tablecloths, the best cutlery, real flowers and all the dishes served with love."

The Vincentian Family is providing the meal in the Paul VI Hall on Nov. 16. Vincentian missionaries from several continents, along with lay members of the congregation, will serve the meal.

The Congregation of the Mission, known as the Vincentians, was founded 400 years ago. Contributing to the lunch for the poor from across the globe is "a concrete sign of charity for the 400th-year jubilee."

Superior General Father Tomaž Mavric will be present during the lunch with the Holy Father.

Organizations from across Italy are contributing food, materials and logistical support. Music will be provided by young performers from Naples who participate in programs that use the arts as a path to education and personal growth. At the end of the event, guests will receive "St. Vincent Backpacks" containing food and hygiene items.

Meanwhile, Salesian Missions, the U.S. development arm of the Salesians of Don Bosco, is marking World Day of the Poor by highlighting its work in some of the world's most difficult settings.

In 130 countries, "Salesian missionaries are providing people in poverty with social supports to help them meet basic needs and improve their lives," said Father Michael Conway, director of Salesian Missions.

The Salesians highlighted that work with the poor is a constant fight to improve their lives -- and one carried out across the globe, in initiatives such as the Afia Don Bosco Hospital in Congo, where a power generator was installed to keep services running during power cuts.

In Lebanon, where conflict has displaced families from border areas with Israel and from south Beirut, Salesian missionaries are helping a group of displaced people staying in a public school at the Don Bosco Hossoun center. With funding from Salesian Missions, they provided kitchen equipment, warm clothing, blankets and essential medicines, along with meals, water, medical and psychosocial support and activities for children.

"The funding was essential to helping us provide a safe and secure place for the families who were displaced," Father Conway said.

The Vincentian Family, for their part, since 2018 worked on a housing project, highlighted in the Vatican on the occasion of the Jubilee.

The "13 Houses" campaign, aimed to provide housing for the impoverished, "has already changed the lives of 11,030 people across five continents and will culminate with a
pilgrimage to Rome from Nov. 9 to 17, 2025, in which beneficiaries from eight countries will participate," the press release said.

Participants in the pilgrimage "represent more than 130 projects in 79 countries, with 2,763 homes built and over 11,030 people benefiting since 2018," the release said.

Groups of people in need left for Rome from all corners of the globe for their Jubilee of the Poor in the days leading to Nov. 16.

When a group of homeless people was leaving Kraków, Poland, on Nov. 11, with The Work of St. Padre Pio, which helps those in need on a daily basis, OSV News asked one of the participants what her plan for the pilgrimage was.

She replied: "To become a saint."

The fact that thousands of people in need will participate in the Jubilee of the Poor is a sign of many "angels that are around them," Cardinal Krajewski said.

All those who helped the poor come to Rome are globally a "large group of people with incredibly good hearts who allow them to come to the tombs of the Apostles," Cardinal Krajewski told OSV News.

"They allow them to meet with the pope, to pray in one of the most important cities of Christianity -- those people could never afford it on their own," the papal charity point man said.

"And meeting the pope can not only restore their dignity but also change their lives."