THE WORLD DAY OF THE POOR
DES PAUVRES

Étienne Villemain and Alix Montagne have the intuition that the poor have their place at the heart of the Church and not at its door. They organize a pilgrimage to Rome with 200 street people. During the general audience with the Pope, they asked him to establish a “World Day of the Poor.”

In November 2016, Fratello brought together 3,500 people from 23 countries in Rome for three days of meetings and prayer, punctuated by an audience with the Pope. On November 20, at the end of the Jubilee of Mercy, Pope Francis established the World Day of the Poor, celebrated every year on the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time.

The first World Day of the Poor took place in 2017. Since then, it has been celebrated every year in many countries through masses, retreats and gatherings. In 2018, local initiatives took place from Paris to Manila. In 2019, Fratello organized a pilgrimage to Lourdes bringing together 1,500 people from 9 countries in a spirit of prayer, celebration and fraternity.

In November 2021, 500 people in a precarious situation, including 200 invited by Fratello, lived a pilgrimage to Assisi in the footsteps of Saint Francis, in the spirit of Fratelli tutti. Pope Francis was invited to join as a “poor pilgrim with the poor.” In parallel, some sixty gatherings took place on all continents, united by a live international prayer time.

In 2022, Fratello encourages French parishes to celebrate the World Day of the Poor locally. In 2023, 8 events took place in France and an international prayer brought together 17 countries on 4 continents. In 2024, 6 locations in France took part in the 8th edition, with increasing mobilization of dioceses and even more widely followed global prayer.

In 2025, go to Rome to experience an exceptional World Day for the Poor together, at the very heart of the Church! A strong moment of fraternity, prayer and joy!