Organizers say Pope Leo's ‘Lunch with the Pope’ reflects Church open to all
The event is meant to show that those often considered “in need” also enrich the Church through their presence.
Ahead of Pope Leo XIV's July 11 “Lunch with the Pope,” organizers said the annual gathering, which shares a message of hope, welcome, and inclusion, is meant to reflect the Church's openness to all.
As Zeale News previously reported, the Pontiff will share a meal with 200 people from the Diocese of Rome at Borgo Laudato si' in the Pontifical Gardens of Castel Gandolfo.
Donatella Parisi, communications coordinator for the Laudato Si' Centre for Higher Education, said the gathering, a day “immersed in beauty and lived spirituality,” will welcome refugees, single mothers with children, people with disabilities, and others experiencing hardship, according to Vatican News.
She said the event demonstrates that “the Church should always be open to everyone, especially to those living on the existential peripheries.”
Parisi said people who are often viewed through the lens of need also enrich the Church “through their presence and through their call for a different way of looking at society.”
She highlighted the symbolism of Castel Gandolfo, saying the papal residence, which was closed to the public for centuries, has increasingly become a place of welcome.
“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," she said. "It is now welcoming these people, who for us are the guests of honor.”
Vatican News reported that organizers hope the initiative will welcome participants from a different diocese each year.
