FAITH IN ACTION | KAIROS GLOBAL | FEBRUARY 2026

Author: Joseph Sebastian

Intro: Through the ages, the Church has been steadfast in her commitment to the people on the fringes. Dr Joseph Sebastian highlights how the Church has stood by the poor

The Church’s Commitment to the Poor and Vulnerable

Love for people on the fringes of society lies at the very heart of the Gospel. In his first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi te¹ (Oct 2025), Pope Leo XIV places Christ’s love for the poor at the centre of the Church’s mission and calls for a renewed commitment to those most in need. The document was begun by Pope Francis during the final months of his life as a follow-up to Dilexit Nos, and later completed by Pope Leo XIV, reflecting the shared conviction of both Popes that love for Christ is inseparable from care for the poor.

‘Love for the poor’ is expressed through concrete and compassionate actions shaped by the realities people face. Vulnerability is not uniform; it is influenced by geography, social norms, economic conditions, and unequal access to essential services. Across contexts, those living in remote or hard-to-reach areas, women, ethnic minorities, and migrants often experience deeper exclusion and fewer opportunities. Authentic Christian love recognises these differences and responds not with uniform solutions, but with justice, dignity, and practical solidarity.

The ‘faces’ of this love are seen in the many individuals and communities who live with poverty, vulnerability, or marginalisation today. They include economically poor households and vulnerable families such as single-parent, elderly-headed, or child-headed homes. This love embraces persons with disabilities (physical, intellectual, or psychosocial) and extends to migrant workers, refugees, and asylum seekers seeking safety and dignity.

It walks alongside survivors of trafficking, prisoners and those in conflict with the law, the urban homeless, the rural landless poor, and informal workers ranging from daily-wage earners to domestic workers. It also accompanies indigenous and tribal communities, children and women at risk, the elderly poor, those living with chronic illness, displaced and excluded communities, unemployed or NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) youth, people struggling with addiction, and farmers in distress due to debt or instability.

Illustrative global data on selected vulnerable groups are presented below:

1. People living in extreme poverty: About 831 million people were living in extreme poverty worldwide in 2025 according to the World Bank’s most recent global poverty update.²

2. Children at risk (out of school): An estimated 272 million children and youth were out of school globally as of the 2023 UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report.³

3. Women at risk (violence and vulnerability): Nearly 840 million women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime (1 among every 3 women), according to WHO fact sheet on violence against women⁴

4. Persons with disabilities: An estimated 1.3 billion people worldwide live with significant disabilities, representing roughly 16% of the global population (1 of 6 among us), per WHO fact sheet on disability and health.⁵

5. Refugees, asylum seekers & forcibly displaced: According to UNHCR’s Global Trends report, an estimated 123.2 million people were forcibly displaced by conflict, persecution, and violence by the end of 2024.⁶

   
   

As Pope Francis defined, the people on the fringes, (the poor, the vulnerable, persons with disabilities, migrants, trafficked individuals, prisoners, or any community pushed to the margins), each represents a distinct expression of human need and a call for focused responses that address their particular circumstances. Together, these ‘faces’ remind us that the option for the poor is not a slogan but has to be a strong commitment to see, to understand, and to act with intentional, inclusive love.  It is not an ‘either-or’: love for Christ necessarily leads to love for the poor, and love for the poor finds its fullness only when it flows from love for Christ.

The Church's response to the poor is fundamentally driven by the theological principle of the ‘preferential option for the poor and vulnerable’ – a non-negotiable value of Christian faith and an integral part of Catholic Social Teaching.  The basis for this ‘option’ is deeply rooted in both Scripture and Tradition.

• Imitation of Christ: Jesus Christ, who though he was rich (and all powerful), yet for your sake he became poor (2 Corinthians 8:9), is the ultimate example. His life, from his humble birth in a manger to his death as an outcast, demonstrates God's solidarity with the suffering.

• Scriptural Mandate: Throughout the Bible, God is consistently presented as the defender and liberator of the oppressed, such as widows, orphans, and strangers. The prophets fiercely condemned those who oppressed the poor and neglected justice (Isaiah 10:1-2). The Sermon on the Mount (Luke 6:20-23) and the parable of the Last Judgment (Matthew 25:31-46), where Jesus identifies himself with the hungry, sick, and imprisoned, provide a clear direction for believers.

• Human Dignity: The Church teaches that every person, regardless of their social or economic status, is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses an inherent, inalienable dignity.⁷ The well-being of the poor has the most urgent moral claim on the conscience of society.

• The Poor as Agents of Revelation: The poor are not just people who need our help. They also reveal God to us (Matthew 25:35-36 – I was hungry… I was… thirsty, stranger, naked, sick, in prison…). In a deep way, they become a ‘sign’ through which Christ meets the Church. Their struggles and experiences can speak to our hearts, teaching us about the suffering Christ and helping us grow in faith.

  
  

This commitment reshapes the Church’s approach: moving beyond charity alone to confronting unjust systems, practicing true solidarity, and empowering the poor to shape their own futures. It integrates immediate assistance with social and spiritual accompaniment, reminding us that love for God is lived out in love for our neighbour, especially those on the fringes.

Historically, the Church’s service to the poor evolved from simple grassroots acts of compassion to structured, transformative ministries for and with the vulnerable, not burdens to be managed, but lives to be honoured, protected, and uplifted.

Historical Expressions of the Church’s Care for the Poor 

• Early Church Communities: Shared resources so none lacked basic needs. (Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35)

• Monasteries (Middle Ages): Became centres of charity, feeding the hungry, treating the sick, sheltering travellers, and caring for the poor during famine and plague.

• St Basil the Great (4th Century): Established the Basileias, one of the first large-scale Christian social service complexes with hospitals, hostels, and care for the poor.⁸

• St Benedict & Benedictines: Organised community life around hospitality, ensuring the poor and strangers were treated as Christ.

• St Francis of Assisi (13th Century): Embraced radical poverty and rebuilt community life by identifying with the poor and inspiring a global movement of simplicity and service. 

• St Ignatius and the Jesuits (16th Century): The Society of Jesus unites education and pastoral care with justice and rights-based advocacy.

• St Vincent de Paul (17th Century): Built structured systems – home visits, education, skill training, community kitchens, serving the poor.

• Catholic Workers Movement (20th Century): Dorothy Day founded houses of hospitality, combining direct service with a strong voice for social justice.

• Mother Teresa (20th Century): Served the ‘poorest of the poor’ through homes for the dying, orphanages, and care centres worldwide.

Modern Responses: Holistic and Systemic Approaches

In the modern era, the Church continues her long tradition of charity by embracing more holistic and collaborative ways of responding to human need. Alongside immediate relief, she commits herself to development, advocacy, empowerment, and innovation, seeking not only to ease suffering but to uphold dignity, protect rights, and foster lasting transformation in the lives of those in need.

• Emergency Relief & Humanitarian Response: Providing immediate assistance (food, shelter, healthcare, and protection) during crises to preserve life and dignity.

• Integrated Aid & Development: Linking relief with long-term solutions such as livelihoods, education, and financial inclusion so families can move toward self-reliance.

• Advocacy & Prophetic Witness: Challenging unjust systems and policies by promoting human rights, fair wages, humane migration, peace, and ecological justice.

• Human Dignity & Rights Protection: Defending the inherent dignity of every person, especially migrants, refugees, women, children, and other vulnerable groups.

• Community Empowerment & Participation: Enabling communities to identify their own needs, shape solutions, and take leadership in their development journeys.

• Peacebuilding & Reconciliation: Addressing the roots of conflict through dialogue, healing of memories, and fostering social cohesion.

• Inclusion of Women and Persons with Disabilities: Promotes leadership of women and ensures persons with disabilities are included and supported at all levels.

• Care for Creation: Responding to climate injustice by protecting the environment and supporting communities most affected by ecological degradation.

• Collaboration & Solidarity: Working with NGOs, governments, and civil society to amplify impact through shared responsibility and collective action.

• Response to New Forms of Poverty: Accompanying those experiencing loneliness, exclusion, mental distress, and loss of belonging – recognising poverty as relational and spiritual.

• Pastoral Presence & Accompaniment: Walking with the poor in compassion and hope, offering not only services but presence, listening, and belonging.

  
  

How the Roman Curia serves the vulnerable and people on the fringes:

Several Vatican departments coordinate global Catholic efforts for the poor, each addressing specific forms of vulnerability.

• Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development - Leads Church action on human dignity, justice, peace, and human rights, focusing on:

  • Migrants & Refugees; People in need and on the margins (sick, prisoners, unemployed, victims of conflict and trafficking); Care for Creation and environmental justice

    
    

• Dicastery for the Service of Charity - The Pope’s direct charitable arm, providing emergency aid worldwide and supporting those in extreme hardship.

  
  

• Dicastery for the Laity, the Family, and Life - Supports vulnerable groups within family contexts - the elderly, children, caregivers, and the unborn.

  
  

• Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith - Ensures safeguarding and protection of minors and vulnerable persons across the Church.

  
  

• Other Bodies and Local Networks:

  • Caritas Internationalis – global Catholic humanitarian confederation

  • National Episcopal Conferences (eg, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of India) with commissions for local marginalised groups

  • Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences – applying Catholic social teaching to contemporary issues

    
    

• Ecclesial Movements and Lived Witness: Beyond formal structures, the Church’s care for those on the margins is carried forward through recognised ecclesial and ecumenical movements, religious congregations, and countless individuals who respond to Christ’s call. Guided by the Holy Spirit, they serve the poor not as a task alone, but as a vocation. 

  
  

In terms of scale and reach, three Caritas members stand out prominently: Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Caritas Germany, and Caritas India. CRS, among the world’s largest humanitarian organisations, manages annual programmes exceeding USD 900 million and plays a pivotal role within the global Caritas network through its extensive international operations. Caritas Germany, the country’s largest welfare organisation and its biggest private employer, with approximately 735,000 staff, delivers a wide spectrum of social services nationwide while also providing substantial support to international humanitarian responses. Caritas India offers a distinctive model of last-mile engagement within a single country – deeply embedded in 174 dioceses, operating through over 14,000 educational institutions, 5,500 health centres and more than 250 partner organisations, and recognised for its rapid response in remote and underserved regions.

Collectively, the Caritas network channels more than €4 billion annually into humanitarian, development, and social services, representing one of the most extensive faith-based commitments to the poor in the world. This shared investment reflects not only scale and coordination, but a sustained moral commitment to accompany vulnerable communities across contexts and continents.

Together, these efforts bear witness to a Church that serves the poor not only through structures and resources, but through a shared vocation to uphold dignity, foster hope, and make Christ’s compassion visible in the world.

References

¹ Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te of the Holy Father Leo XIV ‘To All Christians on Love for The Poor’ https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20251004-dilexi-te.html 

² https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview

³ https://www.unesco.org/gem-report/en/view/outofschool 

⁴ https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/violence-against-women 

⁵ https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/disability-and-health

⁶ https://www.unhcr.org/sites/default/files/2025-06/global-trends-report-2024.pdf 

⁷https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20240402_dignitas-infinita_en.html 

⁸ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil_of_Caesarea 

Joseph Sebastian, PhD is a social development professional with a Doctorate in Social Work, having over three decades of experience spanning multiple regions and time zones. He has been actively involved with the Jesus Youth movement since his undergraduate days. Passionate about mentoring young leaders, he also walks closely with individuals and families in their vocational journeys. Joseph is married and lives in Kerala, India.