Pope Leo XIV is calling Catholics to recognize the face of Jesus Christ in people who are vulnerable, reminding the faithful that care for those with disabilities is not simply humanitarian work but a profound expression of the Gospel.
During a meeting at the Vatican on Aug. 24, Pope Leo welcomed members of the Marsodeto Federation, a Spanish organization that supports people with intellectual disabilities and cerebral palsy in Toledo, according to Vatican News.
The organization, founded in 1980, traveled to Rome on pilgrimage as it marks 45 years of serving people with disabilities and their families.
Pope Leo acknowledged that such service can demand sacrifices that often remain unnoticed by the wider world.
It is “undoubtedly an arduous task, involving much hidden work that no one sees and that only God can reward,” the Pope said, according to Vatican News.
Yet he emphasized that this work also carries a distinctly Christian reward: discovering Christ Himself in those being served. Drawing upon Matthew 25:40, Pope Leo said believers encounter Jesus in “the face of each person,” recalling Christ’s words, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
For Christians, that teaching transforms the way society’s most vulnerable people are viewed. Rather than being pushed to the margins, they possess an inherent dignity and provide an opportunity for others to encounter Christ through love and service.
Recognizing Christ’s gaze in the lives of vulnerable people, Pope Leo said, “helps us to grow as a human and Christian society.”
That message reflects the mission of the Marsodeto Federation, whose work is centered on solidarity, human dignity and inclusion. The organization was founded more than four decades ago by Fr. Marcelino Casas Puente with the goal that “no family with a person with an intellectual disability should ever be left without support,” according to Vatican News.
Today, the Federation serves more than 2,600 people.
Pope Leo connected that mission with the Christian understanding that faith must be expressed through concrete acts of charity. Recalling words from his visit to Spain in June, he said “the love of Christ urges us towards our brothers and sisters,” adding that “the charity and care with which we respond to his promptings are the proof of our faith.”
Before concluding the meeting, Pope Leo entrusted the Federation and its continuing mission to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
“May she encourage you in moments of greatest difficulty and help you always to keep your gaze fixed on the Lord, so that your Federation may continue to be a true point of reference for both the Church and society,” the Pope said. “May God bless you.”
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