Dilexi Te — A Call to Love that Transforms

Pope Leo XIV signs his first apostolic exhortation, "Dilexi Te" ("I Have Loved You"), in the library of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican Oct. 4, 2025, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, as Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, the substitute secretary for general affairs at the Vatican Secretariat of State, looks on. The exhortation was released Oct. 9. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

When Pope Leo XIV released his first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi Te (“I have loved you”), on October 9, 2025, it marked not only the beginning of a new pontificate but also the continuation of a vision deeply rooted in the Gospel and the social teachings of the Church. The document echoes the compassionate legacy of Pope Francis while introducing Pope Leo’s own voice — firm, pastoral, and attuned to the wounds of our age.

Signed on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Dilexi Te situates itself in the Franciscan spirit of humility, fraternity, and care for the poor. Its title, taken from the words of Christ — “I have loved you” — sets the tone for a text that explores love not as an abstract sentiment but as an active, transformative force that reshapes hearts, communities, and societies.

The Context of “Dilexi Te”

Pope Leo XIV explains that the work began under Pope Francis, whose enduring concern for the marginalized inspired the project. Leo completes and extends that vision by reminding the Church that love for the poor is not a passing theme but the very heart of evangelization.

The exhortation contains over a hundred numbered sections arranged in five chapters, weaving together Scripture, tradition, and contemporary reflection. It explores how faith, when lived authentically, cannot be separated from justice and mercy.

1. Love for God and Love for the Poor Are Inseparable

At the heart of Dilexi Te lies the truth that love of God and love of neighbor are two sides of one commandment. The document warns against a purely spiritualized religion that prays but does not serve, and against activism that serves but forgets to pray. Genuine Christian love is contemplative and concrete, rooted in worship yet overflowing into compassionate action.

To love God truly means to make His love visible among the poor, the sick, the forgotten, and those who suffer quietly at the margins of society.

2. The Poor Are Evangelizers, Not Only Recipients

One of the most striking affirmations of Dilexi Te is that the poor themselves evangelize us. They reveal the face of Christ through their perseverance, simplicity, and hope. Their faith often exposes the emptiness of material comfort and invites others to deeper conversion.

The Church, therefore, must not see the poor as mere beneficiaries of charity but as teachers of faith, witnesses to the Kingdom, and partners in mission.

3. Poverty Is Multidimensional

The exhortation broadens the understanding of poverty beyond material lack. Today’s poverty can also be spiritual, cultural, emotional, or relational — a hunger for meaning, dignity, or belonging. People may live amid abundance yet feel isolated and unseen.

By recognizing these many forms of deprivation, Dilexi Te calls Christians to a wider compassion: to see poverty not only in empty pockets but also in empty hearts.

4. Beyond Charity: Toward Justice and Transformation

While affirming the importance of personal acts of mercy, Pope Leo challenges the faithful to pursue structural change. Feeding the hungry must go hand in hand with questioning why so many go hungry. The document urges believers to confront unjust systems, economic models, and policies that perpetuate inequality.

Love that does not seek justice, it insists, risks becoming mere sentimentality. True charity transforms both giver and society.

5. A Church for and with the Poor

Dilexi Te emphasizes that the Church’s identity itself is bound to the poor. The Church cannot be credible unless it walks with those it serves, sharing their joys and pains. A “Church for the poor” must also be a “Church of the poor,” where those on the peripheries are not simply helped but included, heard, and empowered.

This vision challenges parishes, schools, and institutions to examine whether their structures, priorities, and celebrations truly reflect the love of Christ for the least of His brothers and sisters.

6. Conversion of Heart and Structures

Pope Leo calls for conversion on multiple levels — personal, communal, and institutional. Each Christian is invited to simplicity of life, compassion, and a renewed attentiveness to the cries of the earth and the poor. Communities and dioceses are likewise called to examine their budgets, ministries, and lifestyles in the light of the Gospel.

Conversion, in Dilexi Te, is not a one-time decision but an ongoing journey of love that reforms how we think, plan, and relate to others.

Questions for Reflection

How can our faith communities make love for the poor more central to daily life and mission?

What hidden forms of poverty exist in our surroundings that we have yet to notice?

Are there social or institutional structures that need to be reformed so that they serve the common good more faithfully?

In what ways have the poor already evangelized us — by their faith, patience, or witness?

How can we embody Dilexi Te in our prayer, our decisions, and our way of living?

Conclusion: “I Have Loved You” — Love in Action

Dilexi Te is more than a papal document; it is a summons to rediscover love as the heart of Christian existence. “I have loved you” — the words of Christ — are both a declaration and a mission.

To love as He loves means embracing a life of generosity, humility, and justice. It means allowing our hearts to be moved by compassion and our actions to be guided by mercy. It means building a Church that not only speaks of love but lives it — visibly, concretely, and joyfully.

In a world wounded by division and indifference, Pope Leo’s message resounds with timeless clarity: love alone has the power to renew the Church and heal humanity.