Pope Leo XIV officially introduced his first Apostolic Exhortation, titled Dilexi te (“I Have Loved You”), this Thursday. The text is profoundly focused on Christ’s love for the poor, in harmony with the Gospel and the Vincentian tradition of charity. Signed on October 4, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, the exhortation was formally presented today at the Vatican in a press conference held at noon (Rome time), featuring prominent representatives of the Church and consecrated life.
The choice of both title and date is deeply symbolic. Dilexi te—words drawn from the Book of Revelation, “I have loved you” (Rev 3:9)—evokes both divine tenderness and the commitment of a Church seeking to return to the heart of the Gospel. The date of signing, October 4, recalls the saint of Assisi, who inspired generations of believers to embrace poverty as freedom and love as service. Through this symbolic gesture, Pope Leo XIV signals continuity with the pontificate of his predecessor, Pope Francis, and especially with his final encyclical Dilexit nos (2024), which focused on human and divine love flowing from the Heart of Christ.
The signing took place in the Private Library of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, in the presence of Archbishop Edgar Peña Parra, Substitute for General Affairs of the Secretariat of State. According to the Dicastery for Communication, the exhortation is meant to be an invitation to the entire Church to be renewed by the love of Christ, who becomes poor, servant, and compassionate.
A Call to Return to the First Love
When Pope Leo XIV penned the opening words—“I have loved you”—many perceived in them the tone of a spiritual testament. More than a governing text or pastoral plan, Dilexi te is an interior journey, a meditation on the love of Christ that is not only preached but embodied in service.
Throughout its five chapters, the Pope lays out a path that unites contemplation, commitment, and hope. Each stage aims to show how Christ’s love transforms the human heart and the structures of the world:
- In the Introduction and Chapter I, the Pope invites us to contemplate the personal love of Christ—“I have loved you”—made visible in the poor. God’s love is not an idea, but a face.
- Chapter II reveals the divine logic: God chooses the poor, not out of ideology, but because in them His saving tenderness is revealed.
- In Chapter III, we are reminded that the Church will only remain faithful to her Lord if she is a Church that is poor and for the poor. Service is not a secondary task but her very way of being.
- Chapter IV shows that charity is the soul of every mission. Without love, evangelization becomes mere noise; with love, it becomes a living proclamation.
- Finally, Chapter V lifts our gaze toward eternity: the love that endures is what gives meaning to history and fullness to the human heart.
A Document Steeped in the Vincentian Spirit
Although Saint Vincent de Paul is not explicitly mentioned in the title, his spiritual influence permeates the entire exhortation. In this light, Dilexi te does not simply describe Christian love—it translates it into a concrete ethic: to listen, to accompany, to organize, to serve.
The exhortation is also a call to overcome indifference and mere assistance. The Pope urges an intelligent, transformative charity that promotes social justice and human dignity.
For the Vincentian Family, Dilexi te represents a providential opportunity. Its message resonates with the very heart of the charism: to find Christ in the poor and to serve Him with both effective and affective love. Each chapter, with its spiritual journey, provides a solid foundation for community reflection and discernment.
Love That Transforms the World
Pope Leo XIV insists that true love cannot be reduced to emotions or words. It is a transforming force that changes history when it takes concrete form in justice, compassion, and communion.
In this sense, Dilexi te can be read as a continuation of the Church’s contemporary social and spiritual teaching. It inherits the ecological awareness of Laudato si’, the universal fraternity of Fratelli tutti, and the mysticism of Vincentian service. Yet it does so with its own intimate and testimonial tone, where the Pope’s voice mingles with that of the praying believer: “I have loved you… and in you I wish to go on loving.”
Dilexi te is not a text to be archived but to be embodied. It is a call to make love visible in daily gestures: in listening, in embracing, in the gaze that recognizes another’s dignity. In every person who allows themselves to be touched by the cry of the poor, the Gospel is born anew. And every time the Church serves with joy, the world once again hears the voice of Jesus repeating to His Bride—and to each of us—“I have loved you… and in you I wish to go on loving.”
Saint Louise de Marillac: The Maternal Heart of Christian Charity in Dilexi te
The mention of Saint Louise de Marillac in the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te by Pope Leo XIV, in paragraph 51, highlights the essential dimension of maternal affection in Christian charity toward the poor and the sick. Placed within the chapter “A Church for the Poor,” her figure symbolizes the unique contribution of the feminine charism to the Church’s history of compassion. Saint Louise and the Daughters of Charity embody a model of service that unites faith, tenderness, and human dignity: they cared for the sick not only with medicine, but with presence, listening, and maternal love. This way of serving transformed assistance into a true spiritual ministry, creating spaces of humanity and comfort where no one was excluded. The Pope recalls her words, noting that the Sisters had “received a special blessing from God” to serve the poor who were ill, emphasizing that their mission was not merely social work but a divinely inspired vocation. Like Saint Camillus de Lellis and Saint John of God, Saint Louise bears witness to the Church’s fidelity to Christ present in those who suffer. Her inclusion in Dilexi te reaffirms that true Christian charity springs from loving, respectful affection that recognizes in every person the suffering flesh of Christ.
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