Pope praises Italian Catholic initiatives serving the vulnerable

Pope Leo XIV thanks representatives of Italy9;s Catholic Foundation and Catholic Insurance Society for their important contribution to social cohesion and to the protection of the most vulnerable.

Pope Leo XIV greets representatives of Italy9;s Catholic Foundation and Catholic Insurance Society in the Vatican (@VATICAN MEDIA)

Pope Leo XIV welcomed representatives of Fondazione Cattolica ('Catholic Foundation') and Società Cattolica di Assicurazione ('Catholic Insurance Society') in the Vatican on Friday.

The Pope began his remarks by expressing his gratitude to the organizations 'for their constant commitment to promoting an active presence of Catholics in Italian society.'

'Your visit,' the Pope said, 'also offers me the chance to emphasize how important it is, in our time, to study and appreciate the history of the Catholic movement in Italy, in order to draw inspiration from it and translate into the present the insights and experiences of men and women who, in their lives, united faith with a commitment to justice.'

Solid roots

The Holy Father suggested that the hundreds of cooperatives, rural banks, and mutual aid societies were the concrete response to Pope Leo XIII9;s invitation, in the Encyclical Rerum novarum, to organize also at the economic level in order to address the social question.

Pope Leo said that among these pioneers were also the founders of the Catholic Insurance Society, 'a group of priests and laypeople who, in 1896 in Verona, established a cooperative society with broad popular participation, which later developed together with the country, helping communities overcome the traumas of the two World Wars.'

The Pope continued observing that 20 years ago, in a greatly changed context, the Catholic Foundation was established, drawing from those same roots.

The Holy Father recalled 'the fundamental role it plays in supporting communities, individuals, and families who live in conditions of greater fragility and social marginalization.'

Social cohesion and protecting the most vulnerable

'By fostering the initiatives of many associations and social enterprises, foundations and religious institutions,' Pope Leo said, 'you have made an important contribution to social cohesion and to the protection of the most vulnerable people.'

The Pope encouraged them to continue this commitment, along with promoting the formation of young people through educational, cultural, and participatory initiatives.

'Dear friends, while I praise your enterprise,' Pope Leo said, 'I urge you always to cultivate the spirit that animates it and the evangelical style, so that there may be coherence between the goals you set for yourselves and the means and instruments by which you pursue them.'

Pope Leo XIV concluded by praying that the teaching of Blessed Giuseppe Toniolo may always enlighten and inspire them.

Deborah Castellano Lubov
Source: vaticannews.va/en