"Land, housing and labour, those for which you struggle, are sacred rights."
Rose Molokoane from the South African SDI Alliance and Charlton Ziervogel from the Community Organisation Resource Centre (CORC) joined a South African delegation which included Abahlali baseMjondolo, Ndifuna Ukwazi and Housing Assembly at the 5th World Meeting of Popular Movements and the Jubilee of the Popular Movements at the Vatican in October 2025.
For over a decade, the World Meeting of Popular Movements has fostered a vital dialogue between the Church and popular movements. This year’s meeting took place amidst a world grappling with escalating war, deepening inequality and ecological crisis. Movements from more than 25 countries around the world gathered in Rome, Italy, to deliberate and strengthen solidarity in the struggles for:
- Land – Agrarian reform, food sovereignty and ecological justice.
- Housing – Decent housing, popular habitat and socio-urban integration.
- Work – Popular economy, self-management and organisation of excluded workers.
Representatives also had an opportunity to meet with Pope Leo XIV. In this historic meeting, voices from the margins reached the heart of the Vatican, reminding the world that every person deserves a place to live, a decent job and land to call home.
Watch videos about this year’s World Meeting of Popular Movements below, kindly produced by Ndifuna Ukwazi, or click here and here to watch on YouTube.
