In his first major teaching document, Dilexi te (“I Have Loved You”), Pope Leo XIV sets the tone for his pontificate with a clear message: faith in Christ cannot be separated from love for the poor.
The 104-page Apostolic Exhortation, released at the Vatican on October 9, 2025, completes a text first begun by Pope Francis before his death. In doing so, Pope Leo affirms the continuity between their pontificates—anchoring his vision of a “Church for the poor” in the Gospel and the Church’s rich social teaching tradition.
A Press Conference Rooted in Service
The document was presented at a Vatican press briefing moderated by Matteo Bruni, director of the Holy See Press Office. Joining him were Cardinal Michael Czerny, S.J., Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, Brother Frédéric-Marie Le Méhauté, and Sister Clémence, each known for their work among the poor.
Cardinal Czerny summarized the heart of the exhortation simply: “There will be no social peace as long as the poor are neglected,” emphasizing that poverty is not a marginal concern but a central issue of justice and peace (LifeSiteNews).
In his own reflection, Cardinal Krajewski recalled that for Jesus, compassion was urgent and immediate: “In the Gospel, there is only today.”
‘100% Francis and 100% Leo
The document carries the dual imprint of two pontiffs. As Czerny explained, “The document remembers Francis, but it is Leo’s. If I had to give percentages, I’d say it is 100% Francis and 100% Leo.” (LifeSiteNews).
Echoing his predecessor, Leo writes: “We have to state, without mincing words, that there is an inseparable bond between our faith and the poor.” (Vatican News). For the new Pope, charity is not optional—it is “the beating heart” of Christian life.
The Central Themes of Dilexi te
According to LifeSiteNews, the exhortation is organized around three major theses:
- Faith and love for the poor are inseparable.
“There can be no room for doubt or for explanations which weaken so clear a message,” Pope Leo writes. - The Church’s ‘preferential option for the poor’—first expressed by Latin American bishops at Puebla—remains at the center of evangelization. “Christ is not only a poor Messiah, but also the Messiah of and for the poor,” the text declares.
- Poverty is rooted in unjust structures. Leo warns that inequality and exclusion arise from “social sin” and what he calls “the dictatorship of an economy that kills.” The fight against poverty must therefore transform mindsets, policies, and systems, not just offer temporary aid.
On this point, Vatican News notes the Pope’s insistence that “inequality is the root of social ills.”
A Church That ‘Builds Bridges’
One of the most striking sections of Dilexi te addresses migration. Quoting the late Francis, Pope Leo repeats that “the Church, like a mother, accompanies those who are walking.” He adds:
“Where the world sees threats, she sees children; where walls are built, she builds bridges. And she knows that in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community.” (Vatican News).
In keeping with Francis’ four verbs—welcome, protect, promote, integrate—Leo reiterates that the Church’s Gospel witness is credible only when it takes tangible form in acts of closeness and hospitality.
The “Doubly Poor”: Women and the Marginalized
Reflecting his time as a missionary in Peru, Pope Leo devotes attention to those who bear the heaviest burdens of exclusion. LifeSiteNews highlights the exhortation’s reference to women who are “doubly poor,” facing both material deprivation and gender-based violence. “They are frequently less able to defend their rights,” the text laments, calling Catholics to active solidarity with them.
The Faces of Poverty and the Call to Conversion
Dilexi te expands the notion of poverty beyond material lack. Vatican News reports that the Pope names “the poverty of those who lack freedom, who are silenced, or deprived of dignity.” He rejects meritocratic ideologies that suggest the poor simply “do not deserve otherwise,” calling such attitudes “blindness and cruelty.”
The Holy Father warns against the “throwaway culture” that tolerates the suffering of millions while defending a market ideology of “invisible forces.” He decries claims that free-market economies automatically solve poverty as “pseudo-scientific data.”
In one of the exhortation’s most quoted passages, Pope Leo writes:
“Either we regain our moral and spiritual dignity, or we fall into a cesspool.” (Reuters; Washington Post).
Almsgiving: “The Wing of Prayer”
Leo also defends the practice of almsgiving—now “rarely practiced” and “sometimes disparaged.” Citing the Fathers of the Church, he recalls St. John Chrysostom’s description of almsgiving as “the wing of prayer.” (LifeSiteNews; Vatican News).
He cautions that communities which neglect the poor, even while speaking of social issues, “risk breaking down” and drifting into “spiritual worldliness.” The antidote, Leo says, is direct encounter: “When the Church bends down to care for the poor, she assumes her highest posture.”
A Call to Action—For Every Catholic
The Pope closes Dilexi te with a rallying cry to conscience:
“Unjust structures need to be recognized and eradicated by the force of good… by changing mindsets but also, with the help of science and technology, by developing effective policies for societal change.” (Vatican News; LifeSiteNews).
He urges Catholics to “make their voices heard,” even at the cost of being mocked, and to let themselves be “evangelized by the poor.”
Ultimately, the document’s final words summarize its entire spirit:
“The poor are at the heart of the Church.” (Vatican News).
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