Pope Leo XIV received the board of directors and senior staff of Catholic Charities USA in a private audience at the Apostolic Palace on Monday, May 4. The meeting brought together leadership from the largest private network of social services in the United States with the first American-born pope, who has made care for the poor a defining theme of his pontificate. CCUSA president Kerry Alys Robinson led the delegation, which included representatives from several of the 169 Catholic Charities agencies operating across the country. The audience was the first formal Vatican meeting between Pope Leo and the CCUSA national leadership since his election.
The Holy Father opened his remarks by thanking the network "for your willingness to carry on our Lord's ministry of compassion to the least among us," according to a statement released by Catholic Charities USA following the audience. He cited his 2025 apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te and reminded the delegation that "love for our neighbor is tangible proof of the authenticity of our love for God." The pope also referenced specific corporal works of mercy carried out by the agencies, including food assistance, immigration legal services, refugee resettlement, and disaster response.
Catholic Charities USA reported that the 169 affiliated agencies serve more than 16 million people each year through nearly 4,000 service locations. The network operates food pantries, shelters, housing programs, mental health services, and adoption and foster care services in every state. According to the organization, total expenditures across the network exceeded 5 billion dollars in 2025, with the vast majority going directly to programmatic costs rather than administrative overhead. Federal contracts and grants account for a significant portion of that funding, which has placed several agencies under financial pressure during the recent immigration policy debate.
The audience comes at a moment of strain for several CCUSA affiliates. Catholic Charities of Tennessee has been navigating reduced federal reimbursement for refugee resettlement work since the Trump administration paused the program in early 2025. The Nashville office, located on Murfreesboro Pike, continues to serve roughly 120 immigrant families per week through legal aid and case management, supported in part by parish collections and private donations. CCUSA has publicly defended the network's work with migrants, including Haitian families with Temporary Protected Status set to expire in August.
Pope Leo's prayer intention for the month of May, released through the Pope's Worldwide Prayer Network, is "that everyone might have food." The intention has been amplified by Catholic Relief Services, which is operating 14 community kitchens in Cap-Haitien serving 14,000 meals per day, and by domestic Catholic Charities food security programs that have seen demand rise alongside SNAP benefit changes. The Vatican video accompanying the May intention featured footage from Catholic Charities operations in Detroit, Houston, and Los Angeles.
The meeting also touched on the question of public Catholic identity in social service work. Pope Leo encouraged the delegation to maintain explicit Catholic identity in programming, including chaplaincy, sacramental access for clients, and the corporal and spiritual works of mercy as a unified mission. Several CCUSA agencies have faced state and local pressure in recent years to alter hiring practices and program design to qualify for public funding. The Holy Father did not name specific cases but reaffirmed that "service flowing from faith, not separated from it, is what the Church offers the world."
Robinson, who has led CCUSA since 2023, told reporters after the audience that the meeting felt pastoral rather than administrative. She described the pope as "deeply familiar" with the network's work and said he asked specific questions about housing programs in the Midwest and disaster response in the Gulf Coast. The delegation presented the Holy Father with a bound report documenting CCUSA work over the past year, including the response to Hurricane Helene recovery in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia.
Catholic Charities of Tennessee operates from offices in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga. The Nashville office runs food assistance through partner pantries, immigration legal services, pregnancy and adoption support, and counseling. Diocesan officials have indicated that the second collection scheduled for May 17 across all parishes will support both Catholic Charities and the Diocese of Nashville general operations, with proceeds split based on a formula approved by Bishop Spalding.
Pope Leo is scheduled to meet U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday, May 7, at the Apostolic Palace, according to Vatican News. The meeting is expected to cover refugee policy, religious freedom, and ongoing diplomatic efforts in the Middle East. The pope has spoken publicly about the conflict in Lebanon and the humanitarian situation in Haiti during recent Sunday Angelus addresses.
The full text of the Holy Father's remarks to Catholic Charities USA is expected to be published on the Vatican website later this week.
