Welcome to Papal Insights for the month of July! We have a shorter one this month as Pope Leo XIV took some time off at his holiday residence in Castel Gandolfo, where both his private and public engagements were more limited than usual.

We hope that you all have a restful Summer!

Speech, 11th July 2026

Earlier in July, the Holy Father received 200 guests at Castel Gandolfo. These guests were accompanied by the Diocese of Rome, having been identified as living in “vulnerable circumstances” (Vatican News), the guests spent the entire day in the Pontifical Gardens/Borgo Laudato Si’.

Before the meal began, Pope Leo XIV set aside his prepared remarks to speak in his words. He spoke of his “hunger” not for food, but for justice, charity and a Church that opens its doors to everyone. He reminded those gathered that one of the Pope’s own titles, “Pontiff,” simply means “builder of bridges.” It’s a fitting image: a Church that doesn’t just talk about welcome but actively builds those connections that make it real.

At Caritas Brentwood what struck us most was his insistence that bridge-building isn’t abstract. Building bridges means working toward a world where the causes of poverty and injustice are actually eliminated, not just managed. He located that work somewhere very ordinary: around a shared table. He spoke of the meal itself as a place where Jesus is present, where coming together becomes an act of building “a different world: a world of hope.” That’s a message that lands close to home for us at Caritas Brentwood. Every volunteer, every food parcel, every conversation with someone sleeping rough, every welcome extended to a refugee is exactly this kind of bridge-building; small, every day, and no less holy for being ordinary.

Pope Leo’s prayer for “all those who are in difficulty or suffering” is one we carry into our own work across Essex and East London, and his call to reconciliation and peace is one every parish community can answer, simply by pulling up a chair for someone who might otherwise eat alone.

To read the Pope’s full speech, click here<<