The Catholic Church will observe the 'World Day of the Poor' on November 16, 2025. The day has a special significance this year, since it comes in the wake of Pope Leo XIV's first major papal document - an Apostolic Exhortation addressed "to all Christians, on love for the poor," titled 'Dilexi Te' ('I have loved you'), dated October 4 (the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi). About four months earlier, on June 13, 2025, the Feast of St Anthony of Padua, Pope Leo, released to the world his message for the 9th World Day of the Poor, on the theme 'You are my hope' (cf. Ps 71:5). Both in his message and in his exhortation, he makes one thing clear: The Catholic Church takes sides with the poor and that one should do everything possible, to become and to be visible as the Church of and for the poor!

For the 'World Day of the Poor', Pope Leo gives us a very incisive and challenging message: to pray, reflect, and act upon it. Focussing on the theme, which is the crux of his message, he emphatically writes, "The biblical summons to hope thus entails the duty to shoulder our responsibilities in history, without hesitation. Charity, in fact, is the greatest social commandment. Poverty has structural causes that must be addressed and eliminated. In the meantime, each of us is called to offer new signs of hope that will bear witness to Christian charity. Hospitals and schools, for instance, were institutions established to reach out to the most vulnerable and marginalised. These institutions should be a part of every country's public policy, yet wars and inequalities often prevent this from happening... The poor are not a distraction for the Church, but our beloved brothers and sisters, for by their lives, their words and their wisdom, they put us in contact with the truth of the Gospel. The celebration of the 'World Day of the Poor' is meant to remind our communities that the poor are at the heart of all our pastoral activity... God took on their poverty to enrich us."

Pope Leo's message is crafted into six-pointed units. At the outset, he provides a scriptural justification and explanation of his message. He asserts that, "amid life's trials, our hope is inspired by the firm and reassuring certainty of God's love, poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit." After this introduction, he emphasises the need and importance of having God as our first and only hope and that one should not rely on the materiality of this world. The poor have nothing; they rely on God. "The poor can be witnesses to a strong and steadfast hope, precisely because they embody it in the midst of uncertainty, poverty, instability and marginalisation. They cannot rely on the security of power and possessions; on the contrary, they are at their mercy and often victims of them."

Trusting in God alone is what gives meaning to our lives. Pope Leo is unequivocal when he states, "the gravest form of poverty is not to know God." In the third unit, he continues, "This is a rule of faith and the secret of hope: all this earth's goods, material realities, worldly pleasures, economic prosperity, however important, cannot bring happiness to our hearts. Wealth often disappoints and can lead to tragic situations of poverty — above all, the poverty born of the failure to recognise our need for God and of the attempt to live without him."

His next step is on Christian hope, which he notes is symbolised with an anchor, providing stability and security. "Christian hope is like an anchor that grounds our hearts in the promise of the Lord Jesus, who saved us by his death and resurrection and will come again among us." He situates this hope in the tradition of the Church, saying, "the Church's tradition has constantly insisted on the circular relationship between the three theological virtues of faith, hope and charity. Hope is born of faith, which nourishes and sustains it on the foundation of charity, the mother of all virtues. All of us need charity, here and now. Charity is not just a promise; it is a present reality to be embraced with joy and responsibility. Charity engages us and guides our decisions towards the common good. Conversely, those who lack charity not only lack faith and hope; they also rob their neighbours of hope." Pope Leo, like Pope Francis, does not mince words!

After giving us the crux of his message in Unit 5, he winds up in his characteristic style (very much like Pope Francis). He says, "each day we encounter poor or impoverished people. We too may have less than before and are losing what once seemed secure: a home, sufficient food for each day, access to healthcare and a good education, information, religious freedom and freedom of expression... In this promotion of the common good, our social responsibility is grounded in God's creative act, which gives everyone a share in the goods of the earth. Like those goods, the fruits of human labour should be equally accessible to all. Helping the poor is a matter of justice before a question of charity..." Words that are familiar, but very hard to swallow!

In his conclusion, Pope Leo exhorts, "let us entrust ourselves to Mary Most Holy, Comforter of the Afflicted and, with her, let us raise a song of hope as we make our own the words of the Te Deum: 'In you, O Lord, is our hope, and we shall never hope in vain.'" Just before that, he gives us his final salvo, "It is my hope, then, that this Jubilee Year will encourage the development of policies aimed at combatting forms of poverty both old and new, as well as implementing new initiatives to support and assist the poorest of the poor. Labour, education, housing and health are the foundations of a security that will never be attained by the use of arms. I express my appreciation for those initiatives that already exist, and for the efforts demonstrated daily on the international level by great numbers of men and women of good will."

Pope Leo's message comes, then, as a challenge to all who claim to be followers of Jesus. Whilst his message is obviously and directly for Catholics, in its sum and substance, it transcends the narrow confines of any particular religion. His message is, in fact, a challenge to the whole of humanity, to every single person: Are we willing to see God in the poor? Do we have the courage to allow the poor to lead us to God? Are we ready to become poor? All interrelated dimensions to make us realise, as he says, "the poor are our beloved brothers and sisters."

The key question is, 'how many Indian Catholics will actually take Pope Leo's message seriously, internalise it and implement the directives encapsulated in it?' A question that may certainly go a-begging! For one, several members of the hierarchy, clergy, and religious do very little reading of Church documents; much less is a serious study, reflection, discussion, and discernment. One hardly hears of such teaching being preached from the pulpit, and very little is written or said about it in the Catholic print and virtual media. One does not easily hear of seminars and teaching programmes being conducted for the laity on such subjects. Therefore, Catholic Social Teaching remains one of the best-kept secrets of the Catholic Church! Few also ask why Pope Leo XIV chose that name after Pope Leo XIII!

Then comes the general attitude towards the poor! They are looked down on with disdain! Both in Catholic homes and institutions, the poor who are often made domestic workers or casual labourers are not given just wages, made to work long hours and not even accorded the dignity, which is the birthright of every human who is created in the image and likeness of God! The poor become easy recipients of leftover (even stale) food, old dirty clothes and anything else which one does not need. After all, they say 'beggars cannot be choosers,' as one 'good' Catholic once said, "These poor people should be grateful for the food I give them, which I do not want to keep for the next day!" An attitude and expression would certainly find resonance with many other 'charitable' Catholics! Nevertheless, this is not Church teaching; it is not what discipleship is all about; it should never be the way we treat the poor, as Pope Leo makes it amply clear.

Unfortunately, Church directives are conveniently overlooked and swept under the carpet. Many prefer to be caught up with rites and rituals, the cosmetics and tokenisms and escape from the challenges that confront our Christian identity! Will the 'World Day of the Poor' be yet another 'event' when we indulge in lip service and empty rhetoric? Are we committed to translating the directives given to us by the Church into substantial action both individually and collectively? Are we concerned that, according to the 2025 Global Hunger Index, India ranks 102 out of 123 countries and has a level of hunger that is considered serious?

The way ahead is clear; there can be no doubt or debate on that! Pope Leo, both in his message and in his Apostolic Exhortation, has given us a roadmap that no Christian with a conscience can deny. The poor are with us; they are our hope! Pope Leo reminds us that, "Love for the Lord, then, is one with love for the poor... The condition of the poor is a cry that, throughout human history, constantly challenges our lives, societies, political and economic systems, and, not least, the Church... Every form of poverty, without exception, calls us to experience the Gospel concretely and to offer effective signs of hope." Do we have the prophetic courage to accept that challenge and make it a reality in our lives today?