It turned out to not a document by Pope Leo XIV, but by Pope Francis. The current pontiff states that he inherited this project, made it his own, and simply added some reflections.
In any case, it is his first magisterial document. It is called 'Dilexi te', and it reminds us how the issue of the poor is central in the Catholic Church. It cites popes such as Leo XIII, Paul VI, and John XXIII, who spoke of this as well.
The Church presents itself (…) as the Church of all and particularly the Church of the poor.
The exhortation explains how Pope Saint John Paul II consolidated the doctrinal aspect of caring for the poor within the Catholic Church. It offers forceful quotations in which the Polish pope affirms that care for the needy holds a singular primacy in this institution.
In fact, in point 93, Pope Leo XVI subtly highlights the connection between Pope Saint John Paul II and Pope Francis on this issue.
On the other hand, Dilexit te is a moderate but firm call to action against poverty. It emphasizes the need to promote greater interaction between the hierarchy and the faithful, between the people and the institution, and between experts and ordinary people.
In response to those who dismiss this humanitarian spirit as exaggerated, the document recalls a 1984 quotation from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Concern for the purity of the faith must not be separated from concern for giving (…) the response of an effective witness of service to one’s neighbor, particularly the poor and oppressed.
This is a quote from a document on Liberation Theology, originally issued by a Vatican congregation, whose head at the time was Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
JRB
Trans. CRT
