Pope Leo XIV condemned the spread of poverty and, on the occasion of the “Jubilee of the Poor,” called on world leaders and the faithful to support the marginalized.

The American pope has made social justice a central theme of his papacy, now in its sixth month since his installation as head of the Catholic Church in May, following the death of Pope Francis.

During Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica, the pope declared that the Church, “in this time still wounded by both old and new forms of poverty, wants to be a mother to the poor, a place of hospitality and justice.”

He spoke about the “Jubilee of the Poor,” one of many events held during the Holy Year, which draws pilgrims from around the world. The jubilee coincided with the World Day of the Poor, an annual event established by Pope Francis in 2017.

In his homily, the pope said, “I urge heads of state and national leaders to listen to the cry of the poor.”

He continued, “There will be no peace without justice, and the poor remind us of this in many ways: through their migration and through their cries, often drowned out by the myth of prosperity and progress that excludes many and leaves them behind.”

Beyond material poverty, the pope also pointed to “many moral and spiritual conditions” that lead to isolation. He urged believers to be “attentive to others, to every person, wherever we are and live… so that we may become witnesses to God’s tenderness.”

After the Mass, Pope Leo joined around 1,300 homeless people, refugees, and individuals with disabilities for lunch at the Vatican. Additional community events aimed at helping the poor are planned throughout Rome.

Before a crowd of faithful in St. Peter’s Square, the pope also denounced the persecution of Christians in various parts of the world, particularly in Bangladesh, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Sudan. He also noted renewed violence in the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

“I pray with the families of Kivu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where a massacre of civilians occurred in recent days. At least 20 people were victims of a terrorist attack,” he said.

Local officials in the DRC told Agence France-Presse on Saturday that at least 18 people were killed in an attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF). The group, founded by former Ugandan rebels who pledged allegiance to ISIS in 2019, attacked a village about 300 kilometers north of Goma on Friday night.

According to AFP, ADF attacks have killed more than 190 people since July.