Staff and children from St Antony’s Primary School in Forest Gate and St Bonaventure’s in East Ham, met with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV during a General Audience.
The visit was part of an 18-month campaign that began with the launch of Called to Action, a toolkit developed by Citizens UK to help Catholic schools put Catholic social teaching into practice.
Andy Lewis, deputy headteacher at St Bonaventure’s, said: “This meeting is a powerful endorsement of our work in Catholic schools.
“To hear our actions affirmed at the highest level of the Church was deeply moving and a testament to what is possible when Catholic social teaching is not only taught, but lived.
“It was a day we will never forget.”
The journey to the Vatican began with a request made to Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, during the initial toolkit launch.
Pupils asked him to deliver a letter to the Pope, which he personally delivered to the Vatican in summer 2024.
An invitation from the Holy See arrived in early 2025, and despite the passing of Pope Francis and the election of Pope Leo XIV, the invitation was honoured.
During the General Audience, Pope Leo XIV offered “special greetings to the members of Citizens UK Catholic movement”.
The organisers later presented him with the Called to Action toolkit and other symbolic gifts from the schools.
The Pope also received a copy of Not Only with Words, a report highlighting the work of parishes engaged in community organising to promote social justice.
The delegation’s time in Rome included visits to significant Catholic sites, including the tomb of Pope Francis.