0
0
Pope Leo’s address to a delegation of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul USA
Consistory Hall – Friday, 28 August 2026
In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!
Pope Leo’s address
Your Excellency,
Dear friends,
It is with great joy that I extend my cordial greetings to you all. I hope that your time in Rome will strengthen your faith and deepen your desire to serve the Lord and his Church.
I would particularly like to thank you for your devoted service to the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul and, through it, to your brothers and sisters across the United States of America.
By freely offering your God-given gifts and talents, you bear eloquent witness to your faith through your service to the building up of the Kingdom of God.
At the same time, I encourage you to deepen your relationship with our Lord so that his grace may continue to guide and strengthen your service.
Saint Vincent de Paul demonstrated that prayer and social justice are not merely complementary but are in fact inseparable.
It is therefore my hope that you will continually turn to your heavenly patron in order to follow his example and seek his intercession.
Moreover, as I mentioned in Dilexi Te, St. Augustine taught that care for the poor is Christocentric in nature, and that God will not be outdone in generosity to those who serve the poor.
Therefore, we believe that when motivated by love, caring for others not only helps those in need, but also opens the heart of the giver to God’s grace (cf. no. 46).
Dear friends, I urge you, then, to always give of yourselves.
In this way, the Lord’s grace will steadily purify your hearts and minds, enabling you to recognize Christ more readily in your neighbor, whether they are someone you serve or someone you work with.
Finally, as you return home, know that you are accompanied by my prayers.
I ask you in particular to bring my warm greetings to your colleagues and to those you care for.
With these thoughts in mind, I entrust each of you to the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church. Today, on his feast day, I also entrust you to the intercession of St. Augustine. Thank you.
