VATICAN - Yes, it's not just about sharing a meal, but about experiencing friendship, closeness, and dignity," emphasizes Donatella Parisi of the Laudato si' Higher Education Center in an interview with Vatican News. On Saturday, July 11th, Pope Leo XIV will sit down at a table with 200 poor people, refugees, and others in difficult life situations. The lunch will include migrants, impoverished individuals, refugees, single mothers with children, and people experiencing various forms of social exclusion. The program will begin with Mass, celebrated by Cardinal Fabio Baggio. Afterwards, participants will gather for breakfast, take a guided tour of Borgo Laudato si', and the highlight of the day will be lunch together with the Holy Father.
"It is primarily a moment of friendship. The Pope wants to sit at the same table as people who experience poverty and various forms of social vulnerability every day. It's not just about sharing a meal, but about meeting, talking, and building relationships," emphasizes Donatella Parisi, responsible for communication at the Laudato si' Higher Education Center, which coordinates the Borgo Laudato si' project.
Care for People and Creation
It is no coincidence that Borgo Laudato si', created as a concrete realization of the message of the Laudato si' encyclical, was chosen as the venue for the event. It combines training, integral ecology, human development, spirituality, and hospitality. "We want to show that care for creation cannot be separated from care for people. Borgo Laudato si' should be a place where the beauty of nature meets the dignity of the human person," explains Donatella Parisi. After Mass and breakfast, participants will have the opportunity to visit the Vatican Gardens and the most important places in Borgo Laudato si', including the historic cryptoporticoes. Only then will there be time for lunch with Pope Leo XIV.
A New Tradition
The meeting follows last year's lunch by the Holy Father with poor people from the diocese of Albano. This experience became an inspiration to establish a new tradition. As organizers announce, in future editions, people from different dioceses who are in difficult situations will be invited. "We hope that this becomes an annual event. Every year we want to invite a different diocese so that those most in need can spend a day at Borgo Laudato si' and meet the Holy Father," says Donatella Parisi. Integral ecology can be a concrete path. The second edition of this event is the result of collaboration between the Laudato si' Higher Education Center, the Dicastery for Service to the Poor, and the Roman diocese.
As organizers emphasize, this is an example of joint effort by Church institutions in favor of those most in need. "This is another stage that shows that places of particular importance for the Church can become a space for meeting with those most in need. Thanks to the presence of the Holy Father, Borgo Laudato si' wants to be a place of hospitality, hope, and fraternity, where care for creation goes hand in hand with care for people," adds Donatella Parisi.
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