Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle on Sunday, Nov. 16 urged Filipinos to show greater concern for the poor, saying there is “no excuse” for ignoring those in need.

In a Mass for the 9th World Day of the Poor at the Pontificio Collegio Filippino chapel in Rome, Tagle said the annual observance calls attention to the hardships faced by vulnerable communities.

“We all came to this world with nothing. We’re all naked. All pretensions that ‘I’m higher, I’m richer’ are temptations,” he said before the final blessing.

He added that wealth or social status should not hinder communion with others, nor prevent recognition of Christ in the marginalized.

“There’s no excuse for the lack of communion with everyone because in the end all of us are made of dust. We are all poor. We all depend on God’s providence,” he said.

Later in the day, Pope Leo XIV led a Mass for the Jubilee of the Poor at St. Peter’s Basilica attended by about 6,000 pilgrims. In his homily, the pope urged global leaders to listen to the cries of the most vulnerable and to uphold justice.

“There can be no peace without justice,” he said, noting that migration and widespread suffering continue to expose what he called the “myth of progress” that leaves many behind.

He also thanked charity workers and volunteers, describing them as living witnesses of the Church’s solidarity and service.