Written by: Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service • Published: November 11, 2024

VATICAN CITY (CNS) – There is no such thing as people who only take and never give, Pope Francis told a group of visitors experiencing homelessness and the volunteers helping them.

“We are all givers and receivers, we all need each other and are called to enrich each other,” he said during a private meeting at the Vatican on Nov. 8.

The group, called “Begegnung im Zentrum” (“Encounter at the Center”), is based in Vienna, Austria, and meets regularly at the home of archbishop Cardinal Christoph Schönborn.

“You come from very different countries, you belong to different religious beliefs, and each of you has had unique life experiences, sometimes serious tests,” the Pope told his guests.

“But there is one thing that unites us all: We are brothers, children of the same Father,” he said.

The pope praised the group members for helping each other and sharing what each of them has to offer. “Actually, it is not true that some give and some only take.”

Giving and sharing isn’t just about material things, he said. These include things like “a smile, a small gesture of friendship, a kind look, a ready ear, a kindness.”

“As brothers and sisters, let us always try to gift our lives to others,” he said.

God offers the gift of his love, which “also comes to us through the good people around us,” he said.

“The Lord loves us beyond all our limitations and difficulties,” Pope Francis said. “Each of us is unique in his eyes, and he never forgets us.”