Our mission

The team behind Fratello is made up of laypeople committed to the Church, originally involved in a large pilgrimage that brought several thousand people from the streets and their companions to Rome in 2014 and then in November 2016.

After meeting them in a historic audience in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Francis declared a new world day: the World Day of the Poor!

In collaboration with dioceses and associations from around the world, Fratello aims to serve at the heart of the Church by facilitating encounters with the poorest and giving them the place they deserve in the Church: the first!

Our team

Our genesis: The World Day of the Poor

"In light of the 'Jubilee of Socially Excluded People,'* as the Holy Doors of Mercy were closing in all the cathedrals and sanctuaries around the world, I had the intuition that, as a final concrete sign of this extraordinary Holy Year, we should celebrate the World Day of the Poor on the XXXIII Sunday of Ordinary Time throughout the Church."

This will be the best preparation to celebrate the solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, who identified with the small and the poor and who will judge us based on the works of mercy (cf. Mt 25:31-46).

It will be a day that helps communities and every baptized person reflect on how poverty is at the heart of the Gospel and the fact that, as long as Lazarus lies at the door of our house (cf. Lk 16:19-21), there can be neither justice nor social peace.

This Day will also be an authentic form of new evangelization (cf. Mt 11:5) through which the face of the Church will be renewed in its continual pastoral conversion to be a witness of mercy."

Excerpt from the Apostolic Letter Misericordia et Misera, November 20, 2016

The "Jubilee of Socially Excluded People" is the name given by the Holy Father to our Fratello gathering in November 2016.

What we do

We see ourselves as facilitators of encounters with people in situations of poverty or exclusion. To do this,

1. Fratello organizes key events and gatherings for and with people in situations of poverty or exclusion. These events aim to spread joy, uplift talents, and convert hearts!
2. Fratello promotes the World Day of the Poor (33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time), decreed by Pope Francis in November 2016 as the conclusion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy.
3. Fratello connects with dioceses, parishes, associations, and religious communities to develop its actions and inspire new joyful initiatives to open the doors of the Church to as many people as possible.

‍