Castel Gandolfo – After presiding over the Holy Mass at the Sanctuary of Santa Maria della Rotonda in Albano and leading the Angelus prayer, Pope Leo XIV chose to share a moment of fraternity with the poor assisted by the Diocesan Caritas, together with the pastoral workers who dedicate themselves each day to helping the most vulnerable.
The lunch took place at the Borgo Laudato si’, within the Gardens of the Pontifical Villas of Castel Gandolfo, in an atmosphere of simplicity and conviviality. Leo XIV sat at the table with four people, listening to their stories and concerns. Before sitting down to eat, the Pontiff addressed those present, recalling the spiritual and human value of the act of “breaking bread together”:
“Many of you already heard me this morning during Holy Mass,” said Leo XIV, “but I feel moved to recall that gesture so meaningful for us all: breaking bread. It is the gesture by which we recognize Jesus Christ in the midst of his own; it is the Eucharist, but it is also being together, gathered around a table, sharing the gifts the Lord has given us.”
The Pope then expressed his gratitude to the Caritas volunteers and to the leaders of the diocese of Albano for their welcome and their concrete service to the least “This place, so beautiful,” he continued, “reminds us of the beauty of creation, but it also reminds us that the most beautiful creature is the human person, made in the image of God. Each of us carries within ourselves this image, and we must remember that we find the presence of God in every person. Being here today, gathered for this meal, means living in communion and fraternity.”
After blessing the food, Leo XIV encouraged those present to keep alive the joy of sharing, adding with a smile: “Enjoy your meal, everyone!” The community lunch thus became for the Pope a precious experience of being close to those who had shared the Eucharist with him that very morning.
And yet, just as it once happened with Benedict XVI, the media chose to ignore the event altogether. Gone are the enthusiastic headlines that once accompanied Francis’ lunches with the poor inside churches, along with the tear-jerking photos that circulated widely. Today, neither Salvatore Cernuzio nor his promoter Andrea Tornielli shared any images of the day or of the meal. A simple comparison with the tweets and posts dedicated to Francis’ lunches reveals the gap: the press, and even more gravely the Vatican press, has for a hundred days been committed to minimizing the visibility of Leo XIV’s pontificate, confining itself to transmitting only the bare minimum required by contract.
d.E.A.
Silere non possum