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GREETING OF HIS HOLINESS POPE LEO XIV
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CATHOLIC FOUNDATION
in the Vatican Consistory Hall
Friday, March 13, 2026
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In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am pleased to meet you, first of all because this gives me the opportunity to express my gratitude to the Catholic Foundation and the Catholic Insurance Company for their constant commitment to an active presence of Catholics in Italian society.
Your visit also gives me the opportunity to emphasize the importance, in our time, of studying and appreciating the history of the Catholic movement in Italy, to draw inspiration from it and translate into today's world the insights and experiences of men and women who combined faith and a commitment to justice. Hundreds of cooperatives, rural banks, and mutual aid societies were a concrete response to the invitation issued by Pope Leo XIII in the encyclical Rerum Novarum , to organize themselves, including economically, to address the social question.
Among these pioneers were the founders of the Catholic Insurance Society, a group of priests and lay people who, in 1896 in Verona, created a cooperative society with broad popular participation, which then developed alongside the country, helping communities overcome the traumas of the two world wars.
Twenty years ago, in a vastly changed context but starting from those same roots, the Fondazione Cattolica was founded , recognizing the fundamental role of the Third Sector in supporting communities, individuals, and families experiencing greater vulnerability and social marginalization. In this way, by supporting the initiatives of many associations and social enterprises, foundations, and religious institutions, you have made an important contribution to social cohesion and the protection of the most vulnerable.
I therefore encourage you to continue this commitment, including working, as you already do, to promote the development of young people through educational, cultural, and participatory programs. The latest addition to this effort is the Academy for the Third Sector, in collaboration with the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, which you intend to extend to LUMSA in Rome.
Finally, I thank you for the support you have given over the years to the Festival of Social Doctrine , an initiative that was very close to Pope Francis's heart, to which the Review of Social Poets has recently been added, in the same spirit .
Dear friends, while I praise you for your resourcefulness, I urge you to always cultivate the spirit that inspires it and the evangelical style, so that there is coherence between the goals you set for yourselves and the means and instruments with which you pursue them. May the teachings of Blessed Giuseppe Toniolo always enlighten and inspire you , and may my blessing, which I heartily impart to you and your loved ones, also sustain you. Thank you!
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