The pope has already expressed his social sensitivity. In his first interview, he lamented the growing economic gap between employees and the CEOs of their companies. He even gave the example of Elon Musk, the world’s richest man according to Forbes.
This is not a minor issue for the American pope. At one of his most recent public events, he said:
POPE LEO XIV
The Jubilee also offers the hope of a different distribution of wealth. It offers the possibility that the earth belongs to everyone—because in reality, it is not so.
This sensitivity aligns closely with that of his predecessor. Therefore it is unlikely to be a coincidence that his first magisterial document carries nearly the same title and is dedicated to the poor. In fact, it was signed on October 4th, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.
The text is entitled Dilexit te (“I have loved you”). The last document of Pope Francis bore the title Dilexit nos (“I have loved you all”).
However, the current pope has chosen to give his first text a lower rank. It will not be an encyclical but rather a pastoral exhortation, and it will be presented at the Vatican on Thursday, October 9th.
The cardinals set to present it are those most directly involved with the poor: the Papal Almoner, Cardinal Krajewski, and the prefect of the Dicastery for Human Development, Jesuit Cardinal Michael Czerny.
Trans. VL
