Pope Leo XIV Calls for Response to Hunger and Injustice in Córdoba

Pope Leo XIV urged Argentina’s Catholic clergy and pastoral workers to respond to hunger and injustice in an address at Córdoba’s Cathedral of Nuestra Señora de la Asunción on November 10. He named illness, loneliness, unemployment and the lack of decent housing among the needs that Christian charity should address. “Hunger and injustice are pressing and demand a response,” Leo said. He recognized the Argentine Church’s sensitivity to social needs and its presence alongside people who suffer. He urged practical assistance to remain connected with spiritual care, including scripture, the sacraments and personal closeness, as part of bringing people to Christ. The pope also urged clergy to examine their own spiritual lives. He warned that they could spend much time working for God while spending less time with God, and called for renewed attention to the Eucharist, scripture and prayer. He encouraged examination of conscience, confession and openness to correction, warning against harshness, rivalries and attachments. Cardinal Ángel Sixto Rossi, the archbishop of Córdoba, welcomed Leo before testimonies from a consecrated woman, a seminarian, a priest and a religious sister. In his address, the pope drew on the tradition of the Spiritual Exercises and referred to Mama Antula, Cura Brochero and Pope Francis. Reflecting on the testimonies, he mentioned his recent hospitalization and encouraged creative uses of technology to continue religious witness despite physical limitations.