The Jubilee of the Poor and the Ardent Charity of Saint Giuseppe Moscati

The IX World Day of the Poor, which will be celebrated throughout the Church next 16 November 2025, inaugurates a time of profound grace. This significant event, intersecting with the Jubilee of the Poor, is not simply a date on the calendar, but a solemn call to cast the anchor of our faith into the depths of real life.

Poverty, an encounter with the face of God

For this edition, which is particularly significant as it takes place during a Holy Year, the Holy Father has chosen the motto: «You are my Lord, my hope» (Ps 71:5). This verse, already invoked to accompany the Day, allows us to glimpse a cry of hope that could rise from the humble and grateful heart of a poor person. These words were explained in the Message of Leo XIV: poverty, as the Pope teaches, is not merely an «accident of history», but rather a privileged theological place, a possible and tangible encounter with the face of God, who becomes a companion on the journey of the least among us.

The most beloved brothers and sisters

The poor are not a diversion for the Church, but its most beloved brothers and sisters, whose lives, wisdom and words challenge the entire community to touch with their own hands the living truth of the Gospel. For this reason, the World Day of the Poor seeks to remind us that the poor are at the heart of all pastoral ministry. The Jubilee of the Poor aims to highlight the dignity and rights of the poor, encouraging acts of solidarity and compassion. It is a sacred time to seek out, learn about, inspire and promote the signs of hope already present in our communities: places and relationships where charity becomes proclamation, education, justice and the possibility of genuine social transformation.

Naples, cradle of hope and charity

Along this journey of spiritual renewal, the city of Naples emerges powerfully as a symbol of redemption. The image chosen to accompany the 2025 World Day of the Poor depicts the altar of the Church of Santa Maria Maddalena ai Cristallini, in the heart of the Sanità district. This altar was made from a migrants’ boat, transformed into a sacred place by several inmates of Secondigliano prison. It is a powerful sign that whispers a moving truth: poverty is not an unchangeable destiny, but a sea that can be crossed together if the community becomes a true companion on the journey. Being “anchored in hope” means remaining steadfast in trust, while also being free to sail new seas.

Saint Giuseppe Moscati: «Those who can, put something in; those who need, take something»

And it was precisely in Naples, pulsing with life and pain, at the beginning of the twentieth century, that the inspiring example of Saint Giuseppe Moscati blossomed - the layman who lived his medical profession as an uninterrupted act of apostolate and charity. Giuseppe Moscati (1880-1927) was not merely a luminary of medical science; above all, he was a passionate heart, capable of seeing the face of Christ in those who suffer. His life was an intense rhythm of study, work, and prayer. For Moscati, the daily pursuit of scientific truth and daily communion with God were two inseparable moments of the same commitment. Before performing an autopsy, he made the sign of the cross over the body, honoring that body which God had loved and brought to life. A gesture that embodies the profound respect for human dignity that the Jubilee seeks to celebrate.

Moscati saw himself simply as a vehicle for knowledge received from God, intended to ease the suffering of those in pain. His dedication to the poor was deeply tangible and moving, as can already be seen from this simple list:

 • the service fee: during home visits, he set the fee using a basket bearing the message: «Those who can, put something in; those who need, take something»;

• self-sacrifice: when the patient was poor and far away, he not only asked for nothing, but even brought the sick person money himself;

• holistic care: he did not limit himself to the swift and accurate diagnosis that made him famous, but also offered spiritual help, taking care to set lives back on the right path and guide those who were confused.

Living the Jubilee Year means that our concern for those most in need must make us all pilgrims of hope, in a world that needs to be illuminated by the presence of the light of the Risen One and by the torch of charity that He has kindled in our hearts. The 2025 Jubilee is an invitation to follow in the footsteps of Saint Giuseppe Moscati, transforming every encounter with the poor into an act of love that illuminates the truth of the Gospel.