Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass for local homeless people, invites them to lunch at summer villa ...Saudi Arabia

By MARIA SELENE CLEMENTE, ANDREA ROSA and NICOLE WINFIELD

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy (AP) — Pope Leo XIV spent the last Sunday of his summer vacation with several dozen refugees, homeless and poor people and the church volunteers who help them, celebrating a special Mass for them and inviting them into the Vatican’s lakeside estate for a lunch of lasagna and roast veal.

Related Articles

Welcoming them for the luncheon, Leo said he was happy to “break bread” with them “in such a beautiful place that reminds us of the beauty of nature, of creation, but also makes us think that the most beautiful creature is the one created in the likeness, in the image of God, which is all of us.”

The guests included around 110 people cared for by the local Caritas church charity, and the volunteers who run the diocese’s shelters, clinics and social service offices. Many had attended Mass with him in the nearby St. Mary sanctuary of Albano.

In his homily, Leo celebrated the “fire of charity” that had brought them together.

“And I encourage you not to distinguish between those who assist and those who are assisted, between those who seem to give and those who seem to receive, between those who appear poor and those who feel they have something to offer in terms of time, skills, and help,” he said.

In the church, he said, everyone is poor and precious, and all share the same dignity.

Leo, the former Robert Prevost, spent most of his adult life working with the poor people of Peru, first as an Augustinian missionary and then as bishop. Former parishioners and church workers say he greatly reinforced the work of the local Caritas charity, opening soup kitchens and shelters for migrants and rallying funds to build oxygen plants during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The luncheon was held at the Borgo Laudato Si’, the Vatican’s environmental educational center in the gardens of the papal villa in Castel Gandolfo. The center is named for Pope Francis’ 2015 landmark environmental encyclical, Laudato Si (Praised Be).

Local caterers provided a menu of lasagna, eggplant parmesan and roast veal. For dessert, the menu called for fruit salad and sweets named for the pope, “Dolce Leone.”

Guests at Leo’s table included Rosabal Leon, a Peruvian refugee who has been in Italy for a few months, along with her husband and two children. One of his other luncheon companions was an 85-year-old Roman, Gabriella Oliveiro, who lives on her own, organizers said.

Leo is expected to wrap up his vacation Tuesday and return to the Vatican, but there are indications he plans to use the Castel Gandolfo retreat regularly as an escape from Rome, resuming the tradition that Pope Francis had eschewed in favor of staycations at the Vatican.

Leo’s older brother, John Prevost, told NBC’s Chicago affiliate that the pope found the getaway relaxing and had actually hoped to read a book during his vacation — the pope likes legal thrillers — but hadn’t found the time. He did, however, make use of the estate’s tennis court and swimming pool, he said.

Prevost, who speaks daily with the pope to compare notes on the New York Times daily Wordle puzzle, said he understood the thing Leo missed most about being pope was not being able to drive.

“Driving to him is totally relaxing,” Prevost said, adding that when they were together, his little brother would always insist on driving himself. “Absolutely, because otherwise then he would criticize my driving,” Prevost said, chuckling.

In the interview, Prevost revealed the pope’s favorite pizza — pepperoni — and candy: Peeps.

Rosa reported from Albano, Italy, and Winfield from Rome.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Hence then, the article about pope leo xiv celebrates mass for local homeless people invites them to lunch at summer villa was published today ( Tuesday 19/08/2025 - 02:59 AM ) and is available on GreeleyTribune ( Saudi Arabia ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Pope Leo XIV celebrates Mass for local homeless people, invites them to lunch at summer villa )

Also on site :

• ASU’s Kyndrich Breedlove, Duke’s Landen King both ejected late in 1st half of Sun Bowl
• Duke lineman Kobe Smith suffers gruesome injury in Sun Bowl: ‘Not going to show that one again’
• Around The NBA: Atlanta Fire Sale? NCAA Return Rules, Tanking Tweaks, Christmas Ratings, More