On the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Saturday morning, 4 October 2025, in the private library of the Apostolic Palace: Pope Leo XIV signed his first Apostolic Exhortation “Dilexi te – in the presence of Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State.
Dilexi te is the continuation of Dilexit nos (the final encyclical of Pope Francis) focus on ‘the love for the poor’. It is not a text about the Church’s social doctrine, nor does it analyze specific issues. Rather, it sets forth the very foundations of ‘revelation’, highlighting the powerful bond between the love of Christ and His call for us to draw near to the poor.
‘Love for the Lord… is one with love for the poor’, writes Pope Leo. They are therefore inseparable; as Jesus says, ‘just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me’. It is not a matter of mere human kindness but a revelation; contact with those who are low and powerless is a fundamental way of encountering the Lord of history.
Hower, it is a sad fact that even Christians’ risk “succumbing” to worldly attitudes, ideologies, and misleading political or economic approaches. The annoyance we sometimes hear when people refer to commitment to the poor — as if it were a distraction from love and worship directed toward God — reveals how timely this document is.
The fact is that some dismiss or ridicule charitable works, as if they were an obsession on the part of a few and not the burning heart of the Church’s mission.
Pope Leo emphasizes, it is necessary to go back and re-read the Gospel, lest we risk replacing it with the wisdom of this world.
Related link:
Rosary for Peace with Pope Leo XIV | October 11, 2025 |LIVE from the Vatican | EWTN
Pope Leo XIV Signs Apostolic Exhortation “Dilexi te” | The Pope’s First Papal Document | EWTN News
Peter reminds us that the poor are the heart of the Gospel | Vatican News
Pope Leo in ‘Dilexi te’: Faith cannot be separated from love for the poor
