Reportage
Pope Leo welcomes the movements: I’m with you
Pope Leo XIV: ‘Popular movements fill the void left by a lack of love with solidarity founded on care for one another. Inequality is the root of social evils. The gap between the 1% and the vast majority is widening.’
“The Church supports your struggles. Like Francis, I believe that the right paths start from below and from the periphery toward the center. Your initiatives can be transformed into public policies and social rights.”
With these words, Pope Leo XIV welcomed the representative of the popular movements on Friday, confirming the path laid out by his predecessor, Pope Francis: that of a Catholic Church that doesn’t just serve the poor and acknowledge their suffering, but also stands alongside those who fight for justice and build solidarity.
Prevost chose to do so with a wide-ranging and profound address. He read the prepared speech carefully, weighing his words, but delivered far more than a standard protocol speech, displaying a radicalism that, according to some observers, also injected a certain American pragmatism about the merits of the struggles and what is at stake. It was the signal many had been waiting for.
The people pouring into the Paul VI Audience Hall – the venue for major Vatican occasions – came directly from the World Meeting being held at the occupied SpinTime building. They reached the pontiff in what could be called either a march or a pilgrimage (according to one’s outlook), and received his full support.
Prevost made a point of emphasizing this journey, both metaphorical and literal: “You came walking together, from a social center to the Vatican. The Church must be with you; it must take risks; it must be prophetic and joyful.” He added: “Land, housing, and work are sacred rights, worth fighting for. And I want you to hear me say, ‘I am there!’ ‘I am with you!’”
Prevost took the opportunity to explain, perhaps for the first time in such detail, why he chose the papal name Leo, referencing Leo XIII and the encyclical Rerum Novarum. “There are certainly new things in the world,” he said, “I am thinking of technological innovation. But I would like to look at these ‘new things’ together with you, starting from the periphery.” Shortly before, in his address introducing the Pope, Cardinal Michael Czerny had recalled Prevost’s past as a missionary: “In reality, he has always been with us, from Chicago to Peru, where he experienced firsthand the Church accompanying people in their sorrows, struggles, and hopes,” Czerny noted.
“Popular movements fill the void left by a lack of love with solidarity founded on care for one another,” the Pope emphasized. “Inequality is the root of social evils. The gap between the 1% and the vast majority is widening. It is also the result of the mismanagement of technological progress, with the climate crisis being the most extreme example. Those who suffer most are the poorest. Until their problems are radically resolved – by rejecting the absolute autonomy of markets and financial speculation – no solution will be found for the world’s problems, or indeed, for any problem.”
To truly understand the meaning of these words, one must take into account who the audience was: a colorful multitude of street-level organizers, activists, historic figures from the Italian social struggles and campaigners from 26 countries across five continents. Faces etched with the fatigue of recent years. People with seemingly incompatible histories, who chose to step out of their respective bubbles because extraordinary times demand extraordinary convergence.
At this point, the Pope turned to the theme of migrants, taking a harsh stance against the policies of sovereignists and their performative cruelty: “States have the right and duty to protect their borders,” he affirmed, “but this must be balanced by the obligation to provide refuge. With migrants, we are witnessing increasingly inhumane measures, politically celebrated, that treat these ‘undesirables’ as if they were trash and not human beings. Christianity, instead, asks us to live as brothers and sisters.”
The antidote, he suggested, lies with those who welcome, provide shelter and save people at sea: “I am heartened to see how civil society, popular movements and the Church are addressing these issues, remembering that those in need are our brothers and sisters. These actions make us poets of solidarity.”
The audience began with Guadalupe Souza, a New Yorker and daughter of Mexican migrants who works as a street vendor, who was chosen to deliver the greetings from the movements. “It appears that the death and destruction so many people are being subjected to are having the last word,” Souza said. “We long for the shared dream of an unarmed and disarming peace. We denounce the low value placed today on the lives and dignity of millions in all the peripheries across the world. Wars only fuel the massive arms race. We are tired of so much violence. And we assert that without social justice, there is no peace or dignity.”
At the conclusion of the audience, Pope Leo went into the crowd to shake hands. Someone handed him a Palestinian keffiyeh. He took it and carried it with him.
Originally published at https://ilmanifesto.it/leone-xiv-accoglie-i-movimenti-sono-con-voi on 2025-10-24