Summary of Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te
Introduction (Paragraphs 1–3)
The exhortation begins with the words “I have loved you,” drawn from Revelation 3:9, addressed to a community that is weak, despised, and persecuted, yet loved by Christ. This phrase sets the tone for the document: divine love is not abstract but revealed in solidarity with those who suffer. Pope Leo situates Dilexi Te in continuity with Pope Francis’s Dilexit Nos, which reflected on Christ’s love for humanity, and explains that Francis had begun preparing an exhortation on love for the poor before his death. Leo continues that effort, aiming to unite contemplation of Christ’s love with practical service to the poor.
Chapter I – A Few Essential Words (Paragraphs 4–15)
The first chapter centers on the Gospel account of the woman who anoints Jesus with costly perfume. Her gesture symbolizes an act of love that transcends utilitarian calculation, revealing that love itself—whether shown to Christ or to the poor—is never wasted. Pope Leo underscores that the statement “you will always have the poor with you” must not excuse indifference; rather, it binds disciples permanently to them. To love Christ is to love the poor, since both share the same presence.
Saint Francis of Assisi is presented as the pre-eminent witness of this truth: his encounter with the leper transformed fear into compassion, inaugurating a new way of seeing Christ in the least. The chapter then expands the understanding of poverty beyond material deprivation. Poverty also includes exclusion, lack of rights, cultural and spiritual emptiness, loneliness, and marginalization.
Modern societies, it observes, often produce new forms of poverty even amid abundance—unemployment, exploitation, addiction, and loss of meaning. Christians therefore require a “change of mentality,” resisting ideologies that idolize comfort or blame the poor for their condition. The Church must avoid confining charity to sporadic gestures; it is an essential expression of faith itself.
Chapter II – God Chooses the Poor (Paragraphs 16–34)
This section explains that God’s predilection for the poor is a thread running throughout salvation history. In the Exodus, God hears the cry of the oppressed; in the prophets, He condemns injustice; in the Incarnation, the Son of God assumes the condition of poverty to redeem humanity. The “preferential option for the poor,” therefore, is not an ideological slogan but a theological statement about God’s way of acting.
Jesus’ life manifests this divine preference: He is born in a manger, lives without possessions, identifies Himself with the hungry and the imprisoned, and proclaims, “Blessed are you who are poor.” His miracles and parables reveal a mission directed to those most excluded. To follow Christ, therefore, implies embracing simplicity and detachment, learning reliance on providence, and serving the marginalized.
The chapter recalls the early Church’s example—mutual aid in the Acts of the Apostles, Paul’s collections for needy communities, and the Fathers’ insistence that neglecting the poor violates justice. Scripture passages such as James 2 and 1 John 3 are cited to show that faith without works is lifeless and that love of God demands tangible mercy toward one’s neighbor.
Chapter III – A Church for the Poor (Paragraphs 35–72)
Pope Leo reaffirms his intention for a “Church that is poor and for the poor.” The Church’s true treasures are not wealth or institutions but persons—the poor themselves, who mirror Christ’s face. The witness of Saint Lawrence, who called the poor the Church’s treasure, epitomizes this principle.
The chapter surveys the Church’s historical ministries: patristic teaching on charity, monastic hospitality, and the creation of hospitals and schools. The Fathers—Ambrose, Augustine, Chrysostom—are recalled for insisting that withholding aid from the poor is a form of theft. Monastic and religious life are presented as models where prayer, labor, and service coexist. Orders that ransomed captives and opposed slavery illustrate the Church’s defense of human dignity across the centuries.
Education is highlighted as a fundamental work of justice; figures such as Calasanz and De La Salle embody the Church’s commitment to forming the poor intellectually and spiritually. The chapter concludes with a reflection on migrants and refugees: migration, present throughout Scripture, demands pastoral care summarized in four verbs—welcome, protect, promote, and integrate.
Chapter IV – A Story That Continues (Paragraphs 73–103)
This chapter traces the development of Catholic social doctrine from Rerum Novarum through Quadragesimo Anno, Populorum Progressio, and later encyclicals. The Church’s engagement with the poor, it states, is not a recent concern but part of an ongoing tradition responding to changing contexts.
The text introduces the concept of “structures of sin” that perpetuate inequality and exclusion. Christians are called not only to personal charity but also to transform unjust systems—economic, political, and cultural. Conversion of hearts must accompany reform of institutions.
Liturgical life and social mission are shown to be inseparable: the Eucharist, which unites believers in Christ’s self-gift, compels them to solidarity with the needy. A faith that ends at the altar fails to reach its fulfillment.
Chapter V – A Permanent Challenge (Paragraphs 104–121)
The final chapter stresses that love for the poor is a permanent and universal obligation. It cannot be delegated to specialists or limited to charity organizations; it must permeate every aspect of Christian life and ecclesial activity.
Concrete commitments are urged: almsgiving, promotion of justice, equitable access to education and work, and the creation of inclusive social structures. The harmony of justice and charity is emphasized—charity without justice remains sentimentality, while justice without love becomes rigid legalism.
The poor are described as a “sacrament” of Christ’s presence: in meeting them, the faithful encounter the Lord Himself. The Church, continually renewed by this encounter, must witness to hope amid a world wounded by indifference. The exhortation closes with a Marian invocation, asking the Virgin to help believers hear the cry of the poor and respond with love that is both tender and courageous.
Endnotes
Dilexi Te, paras. 1–3 – opening statement and purpose of document.
Paras. 4–15 – reflection on Gospel anointing story; definition of poverty; call for renewed mentality.
Paras. 16–34 – biblical theology of God’s preference for the poor; Christ’s poverty and ministry.
Paras. 35–72 – historical and pastoral applications: Fathers, monasticism, education, migration.
Paras. 73–103 – continuity with Catholic social doctrine; conversion of structures; link to liturgy.
Paras. 104–121 – final exhortation to enduring charity and justice; Marian conclusion.