Dilexi te (Annotated): Apostolic Exhortation on Love for the Poor

by Pope Leo XIV

Dilexi te (“I Have Loved You”) is the powerful first apostolic exhortation of Pope Leo XIV, signed on October 4, 2025, and published on October 9, 2025 — the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. Drawing deeply from Scripture and Catholic tradition, this landmark document invites all Christians to rediscover the heart of the Gospel through Christ’s enduring love for the poor and marginalized. Wikipedia+1

With profound theological insight and pastoral urgency, Pope Leo XIV calls the Church to renew its commitment to those most in need — not as an optional act of charity, but as an essential expression of authentic faith. Dilexi te emphasizes that encountering Christ today means recognizing Him in the faces of the poor, the suffering, and the excluded. Through five richly woven chapters and 121 reflections grounded in the life and teachings of Jesus, the exhortation challenges believers to embrace love that transforms both hearts and societies. Vatican News

Building on the unfinished work of his predecessor, Pope Francis, Dilexi te bridges tradition and contemporary concern, urging Christians to see the dignity of every person — from the materially poor to those suffering from social, cultural, or spiritual poverty — and to respond with compassionate action that heals and unites. press.vatican.va

Dilexi te is both a spiritual invitation and a call to to love without reserve, to serve without distinction, and to follow Christ by making the love of God visible in a world yearning for hope and justice.

86 pages, Paperback

Published December 31, 2025

About the author

The first Augustinian Pope, Leo XIV is the second Roman Pontiff - after Pope Francis - from the Americas. Unlike Jorge Mario Bergoglio, however, the former Robert Francis Prevost is from the northern part of the continent, though he spent many years as a missionary in Peru before being elected head of the Augustinians for two consecutive terms. In Peru, he served as Bishop of Chiclayo from 2015-2023. He was made a cardinal by Pope Francis in 2023 and was elected to the papacy after Francis' death on May 8, 2025. His papal name, Leo, was chosen in honor of Pope Leo XIII.