Pope Leo XIV on Monday, May 4, received the board of directors and senior staff of Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) in a private audience at the Vatican. During the meeting, the Holy Father expressed gratitude to the Catholic Charities network “for your willingness to carry on our Lord’s ministry of compassion to the least among us.” Collectively, the 169 Catholic Charities agencies in the United States serve more than 16 million people in need each year.
“In doing so, you seek to find solutions to inhumane situations, alleviate the suffering of individuals and families, and relieve the burden of those who are weighed down by hardship and strife,” Pope Leo said. “In all of these circumstances, it must be the charity of Christ that compels you in your daily work (cf. 2 Cor 5:14). That is, the desire to bring to others material aid with the love of the heart of Jesus, for it is in that love that they will find genuine rest and their dignity be respected.”
Citing his 2025 apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te, the Holy Father shared that “love for our neighbor is tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God.” He explained that when Catholic Charities agencies minister to those in need, they share the “joy of the Resurrection” with those being served. At the same time, the staff and volunteers of Catholic Charities agencies “come into contact with the flesh of Christ by seeking to see and serve him in our brothers and sisters.” In this way, the pope said, the services of the Catholic Charities network “become a mutual encounter with the Lord who is present among us.”
Pope Leo concluded his remarks by extending an Apostolic Blessing to all of the Catholic Charities agencies in CCUSA’s network.
“We were deeply honored to have a private audience with Pope Leo XIV and are so grateful for his praise for the life-giving work of the 169 Catholic Charities agencies in the United States,” CCUSA President and CEO Kerry Alys Robinson said. “Pope Leo’s words today and the beautiful Gospel message he shares with the world each day will continue to inspire and animate the staff and volunteers of the Catholic Charities network as they serve those most in need in their local communities with mercy and compassion.”
During the private audience, Robinson gave Pope Leo a bound People of Hope: Faith-Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors book that includes narratives and portraits of all 42 storytellers from the People of Hope Museum. Produced by CCUSA, the museum celebrates the power of Christian service and began a three-year journey around the United States in March. It will ultimately visit more than 150 communities to promote empathy and inspire visitors to find ways to serve those in need in their local areas. The initiative is made possible thanks to a 2024 grant of nearly $5 million from Lilly Endowment Inc. through an invitational round of its National Storytelling Initiative on Christian Faith and Life.
Housed in a digitally outfitted semi-truck, the People of Hope Museum features 42 original, authentic video stories told by Catholic Charities staff and volunteers from agencies around the country. In these brief, powerful videos, the storytellers share moving first-person accounts of what it means to serve someone in need in their darkest moment. The book featuring these storytellers is a gesture of gratitude to Pope Leo for his letter to the Catholic Charities network last fall in which he called the men and women of Catholic Charities “agents of hope.”
The audience with Pope Leo took place as CCUSA began a board of directors meeting in Rome. Over the next several days, the board will meet with various Vatican offices including Caritas Internationalis, the worldwide federation of Catholic social service organizations of which CCUSA is a member.
About Catholic Charities USA
Founded in 1910, CCUSA is a national membership organization that supports and represents 169 Catholic Charities agencies across the United States and in five territories. Collectively, the Catholic Charities network each year serves more than 16 million vulnerable people, regardless of their faith or background, through food and nutrition programs, affordable housing, disaster relief and a variety of other humanitarian services.
Photographs courtesy of © Vatican Media.
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