Overview

• Published on October 9, Dilexi te is the first major text of Léon XIV’s pontificate.
• In the exhortation, attention to the poor is defined as a criterion of truth for Catholic life, with neglect described as a rupture with the Gospel.
• Begun under Pope Francis and finalized by Léon XIV, the text continues themes from Francis’s 2023 encyclical Dilexit nos.
• The document was signed on the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, underscoring its Franciscan focus on poverty and charity.
• Léon XIV urges efforts to address structural causes of poverty, criticizes an inequitable global economy, and presses for welcoming migrants.