Pope Francis thanked the benefactors of the US charitable organization The Papal Foundation for their generosity in a world marked by “a growing culture of indifference and individualism,” during an audience at the Vatican on April 12, 2024. The Foundation funds some of the Pontiff’s work around the world.
The Pope received these influential American donors – who to become members of the Foundation give an initial gift of $1 million – as part of their annual pilgrimage to Rome. The Board of Directors, chaired by Cardinal Seán Patrick O'Malley, archbishop of Boston, is made up of American cardinals and bishops.
In his address, the Argentine Pontiff praised their support for the Catholic Church's “educational, charitable, and apostolic projects,” that promote " the integral development of so many, including the poor, refugees, migrants, and nowadays the increasingly large numbers of those affected by war and violence.”
The Papal Foundation also provides scholarships to enable lay people, religious, and priests from developing countries to study at the Pontifical Universities in Rome.
For all this, Pope Francis thanked them for their generosity and their service, "all the more necessary in our time, marked as it is by a growing culture of indifference and individualism.”
Don’t forget to “adore the Lord”
He also encouraged them to keep developing their faith in order to further their work. “Your work finds its ultimate source and inspiration in our Catholic faith, which must be continually nourished by participation in the life of the Church, the reception of the sacraments, and time spent quietly before the Lord in prayer and adoration,” he said.
“Let us not forget to adore the Lord. We have neglected this form of prayer and we need to take it up again: adoring the Lord in silence,” the Pope continued, highlighting also the 2024 Year of Prayer in preparation for the 2025 Jubilee. The Pope has recently been especially urging the Church to return to Eucharistic adoration.
Since its creation in 1988, the Papal Foundation and its "Stewards of St. Peter" -- as the members are known -- have allocated over $200 million to some 2,000 charitable or spiritual projects selected by Popes Francis, Benedict XVI, and John Paul II. The projects have supported monasteries, churches, schools, hospitals and more.
