World Day of the Poor, 17 November

This year’s theme is taken from Sirach 21 “The prayer of the poor rises up to God.”

As has become customary, Pope Francis will celebrate World Day of the Poor with some of the poor people of Rome, who will join him for lunch after he has presided over mass.

In his message for the 2024 World Day of the Poor, Pope Francis notes that war-driven "bad politics" generates new poverty and innocent victims. He urges everyone to pray with and for the poor, and highlights that volunteers continue to devote themselves to serving the poorest in our cities, embodying God’s response to the cries of those in need.

Read Pope Francis’s message here