Dilexi Te – Pope Leo XIV on Love for the Poor

Pope Leo XIV’s first Apostolic Exhortation is important for every Daughter of Charity as it speaks of Christ’s love for the Poor.

The title Dilexi Te - “I have loved you”- is drawn from Revelation 3:9 and echoes Pope Francis’ final encyclical Dilexit Nos - “He loved us”-, which focused on the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Pope Leo XIV completed this exhortation, which Pope Francis had begun, and issued it at the start of his pontificate. It has four important themes.

Christ’s Love for the Poor: The document emphasises that Jesus identifies with the poor, the weak, and the suffering. His love affirms their dignity and calls Christians to do the same.

Call to Holiness Through Solidarity: Caring for the poor is presented not just as charity, but as a path to holiness. Pope Leo insists that recognizing Christ in the poor reveals his heart and inspires saintly living.

Scriptural Foundations: The exhortation draws on passages such as the Magnificat (Luke 1:52–53) and the anointing at Bethany (Matthew 26:8–11), showing how Jesus welcomed acts of love and uplifted the lowly.

Modern Poverty & Injustice: Pope Leo expands the definition of poverty to include social exclusion, fragility, voicelessness, and injustice—especially those situations affecting women. He warns against complacency and the “globalisation of indifference”.

Spiritual & Social Vision
The exhortation is both a spiritual meditation and a social challenge. It urges Christians to become instruments of Christ’s liberating love, confronting inequality and embracing the marginalised. It also highlights the legacy of saints like Francis, Clare, and Vincent de Paul and the communal life of religious orders as models of solidarity and simplicity.