The Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV, has just given us the beautiful Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te (“I Have Loved You”), a 43-page document deeply inspired by the spiritual legacy of Pope Francis and entirely devoted to love for the poor. It is a text that revives the heart of the Gospel and reminds the Church of its essential mission: to love, to serve, and to defend the little ones, where Christ is especially present.

The Pope begins with a verse from the Book of Revelation — “You have little strength, but I have loved you” — to address all those who suffer exclusion, misery, or abandonment. His message is clear: the Church must stand with the poor and be, herself, poor and a servant. The care for those in need, the Pope affirms, is not a social or political issue but God’s very way of loving. Therefore, every baptized person is called to recognize in the face of the poor the face of Christ.

Dilexi te traces the history of salvation, showing how God has always listened to the cry of the oppressed — from the Exodus to the life of Jesus, the poor Messiah. Christ, who was born without shelter, lived among the simple, and died outside the city walls, is the model for all Christian charity. To follow Him is to share in His redemptive poverty and to transform love into concrete acts of sharing.

Pope Leo XIV also denounces new forms of poverty that increase even in wealthy societies: loneliness, exclusion, inequality, and the culture of waste. He reminds us that indifference is a sin against the heart of God and that true faith requires active commitment. Recalling the warning of Saint James — “faith without works is dead” — the Pope insists that the Church must be a living sign of mercy and justice.

In one of the most beautiful chapters, the Pontiff recalls the luminous example of many saints who made the poor the center of their lives. Among them, he highlights Saint Vincent de Paul, “father of the poor and apostle of charity,” whose work remains alive through the Daughters of Charity and the entire Vincentian Family. The text expresses gratitude for the service of the Sisters who, following the Vincentian charism, “have become a maternal and discreet presence in hospitals, nursing homes and retirement homes,” caring for the sick with the same tenderness as a mother for her ailing child. The Pope recognizes in them a shining witness that faith is expressed in concrete love and humble service.

The exhortation ultimately invites every Christian and every community to rediscover the joy of serving. The Church—says the Pope—will only truly belong to Christ if it is also the Church of the Beatitudes, poor with the poor and merciful like the Father. It is a call to both pastoral and personal conversion, one that deeply resonates with the Vincentian heart: “it is not enough to love God; we must also help the poor to love Him.”

For us, members of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP) and the various branches of the Vincentian Family, Dilexi te is a breath of the Spirit. It confirms that the charism of Saint Vincent remains relevant and necessary today. In a world wounded by inequality, we are invited to renew our commitment to the most vulnerable — not out of philanthropy, but out of faith. As the saint of Châtillon used to say: “The poor are our lords and masters.”

May this Apostolic Exhortation rekindle in all of us the desire to serve with tenderness, humility, and joy. May we learn, as the Pope reminds us, to contemplate Christ who continues to say to every poor person: “I have loved you.” And may we, in response to that love, become instruments of God’s Providence, bringing comfort, bread, and hope to those who need it most.

You can read the full text here: https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiv/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20251004-dilexi-te.html

Enjoy your reading within your Vincentian Conference or Branch.

Confrere Renato Lima de Oliveira,
16th International President General of the SSVP from 2016 to 2023. He is currently President of the Divino Espírito Santo Central Council in Brasília, DF.