VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Many Christians "need to go back and re-read the Gospel" because they have forgotten that faith and love for the poor go hand in hand, Pope Leo XIV said in his first major papal document.

"Love for the poor -- whatever the form their poverty may take -- is the evangelical hallmark of a Church faithful to the heart of God," the pope wrote in "Dilexi Te" ("I Have Loved You"), an apostolic exhortation "to all Christians on love for the poor."

Pope Leo signed the document Oct. 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, and the Vatican released the text Oct. 9.

The document was begun by Pope Francis, Pope Leo said, but he added to it and wanted to issue it near the beginning of his papacy "since I share the desire of my beloved predecessor that all Christians come to appreciate the close connection between Christ's love and his summons to care for the poor." 

The connection is not new or modern and was not a Pope Francis invention, he said. In fact, throughout the Hebrew Scriptures "God's love is vividly demonstrated by his protection of the weak and the poor, to the extent that he can be said to have a particular fondness for them."

"I am convinced that the preferential choice for the poor is a source of extraordinary renewal both for the Church and for society," Pope Leo wrote, "if we can only set ourselves free of our self-centeredness and open our ears to their cry."

As he has done from the beginning of his papacy in May, the pope decried the increasing gap between the world's wealthiest and poorest citizens and noted how women often are "doubly poor," struggling to feed their children and doing so with few rights or possibilities.

Pope Leo also affirmed church teaching since at least the 1960s that there are "structures of sin" that keep the poor in poverty and lead those who have sufficient resources to ignore the poor or think they are better than them.

When the church speaks of God's preferential option for the poor, he said, it does not exclude or discriminate against others, something "which would be impossible for God."

But the phrase is "meant to emphasize God's actions, which are moved by compassion toward the poverty and weakness of all humanity," he wrote. 

"Wanting to inaugurate a kingdom of justice, fraternity and solidarity," Pope Leo said, "God has a special place in his heart for those who are discriminated against and oppressed, and he asks us, his Church, to make a decisive and radical choice in favor of the weakest."

That choice, he said, must include pastoral and spiritual care as well as education, health care, jobs training and charity -- all of which the church has provided for centuries.

The document includes a separate section on migrants with the pope writing, "The Church has always recognized in migrants a living presence of the Lord who, on the day of judgment, will say to those on his right: 'I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.'"

The quotation is from the Gospel of Matthew 25:35, which is part of the "Judgment of the Nations" in which Jesus clearly states that his followers will be judged on how they care for the poor, the sick, the imprisoned and the foreigner. 

"The Church, like a mother, accompanies those who are walking" in search of a better, safer life for themselves and their families, Pope Leo wrote.

"Where the world sees threats, she (the church) sees children; where walls are built, she builds bridges," he continued. "She knows that her proclamation of the Gospel is credible only when it is translated into gestures of closeness and welcome."

The church knows, he said, "that in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community."

In his exhortation, Pope Leo went through biblical references to the obligation to love and care for the poor and cited saints and religious orders throughout history that have dedicated themselves to living with the poor and assisting them.

A section of the document focuses on the "fathers of the church," the early theologians, who, he said, "recognized in the poor a privileged way to reach God, a special way to meet him. Charity shown to those in need was not only seen as a moral virtue, but a concrete expression of faith in the incarnate Word," Jesus.

Of course, for Pope Leo, an Augustinian, St. Augustine of Hippo was included in the document. The saint, "The Doctor of Grace, saw caring for the poor as concrete proof of the sincerity of faith," the pope wrote. For Augustine, "anyone who says they love God and has no compassion for the needy is lying." 

And while the pope wrote that "the most important way to help the disadvantaged is to assist them in finding a good job," he insisted that when that is not possible, giving alms to a person asking for money is still a compassionate thing to do.

"It is always better at least to do something rather than nothing," Pope Leo wrote.

Still, the pope said, Christians cannot stand idly by while the global economic system penalizes the poor and makes some people exceedingly wealthy. "We must continue, then, to denounce the 'dictatorship of an economy that kills,'" he said, quoting a phrase Pope Francis used.

"Either we regain our moral and spiritual dignity, or we fall into a cesspool," he wrote.

"A Church that sets no limits to love, that knows no enemies to fight but only men and women to love," Pope Leo said, "is the Church that the world needs today."
 

“For us Christians,” the problem of the poor leads to the very heart of our faith,” writes Pope Leo XIV in his apostolic exhortation Dilexi Te, released on October 9. In this, the first major teaching document of his pontificate, Pope Leo insists that care for the poor is an essential and obligatory aspect of the life of faith.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Jesus is always walking alongside everyone, no matter how mundane or precarious their journey, Pope Leo XIV said.

"Sometimes we think that the Lord comes to visit us only in moments of contemplation or spiritual fervor, when we feel worthy, when our lives appear orderly and bright," the pope said Oct. 8 during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square.

"Instead, the Risen One is close to us precisely in the darkest places: in our failures, in our frayed relationships, in the daily struggles that weigh on our shoulders, in the doubts that discourage us," he said. "Nothing that we are, no fragment of our existence, is foreign to him."

Among the more than 60,000 pilgrims in the square was a group of students from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Academy in Chicago with Cardinal Blase J. Cupich. The students were wearing white and scarlet outfits and a four-cornered hat similar to what a cardinal wears. One student was dressed as a Swiss guard. 

According to the Chicago Catholic archdiocesan publication, they had reenacted a "mock papal conclave" May 6, two days before the real College of Cardinals elected Chicago-native Cardinal Robert F. Prevost in Rome.

In their own schoolwide rendition, the children had elected on their third ballot Augie Wilk, a fourth grader, who took the name Pope Augustine.

"Students had to apply to be one of the 20 cardinals; five sixth graders portrayed cardinals over 80 who could not vote but helped run the conclave," the publication reported.

Teachers made the costumes, including the red "mozettas" or capes, out of felt, and the hats out of cardstock, it reported.

Cardinal Cupich, who was one of the 133 cardinals in the conclave that elected Pope Leo, visited the students at their school June 2 to watch their reenactment, it said, "and to answer their questions about the real conclave."

Meanwhile, in his ongoing series of audience talks on the Jubilee theme, "Jesus Christ our Hope," Pope Leo reflected on Christ's resurrection as being marked by simplicity and humility.

"The risen Lord does nothing spectacular to impose himself on the faith of his disciples," he said. "He does not appear surrounded by hosts of angels, he does not perform spectacular feats, he does not deliver solemn speeches to reveal the secrets of the universe."

"We would have expected special effects, signs of power, overwhelming evidence," he said. "But the Lord does not seek this: he prefers the language of proximity, of normality, of sharing a meal."

"There is a valuable message in this," the pope said. "The resurrection is not a theatrical coup; it is a silent transformation that fills every human gesture with meaning."

Every human body, story and relationship, he said, are "destined for the fullness of life" by "entering into a deeper communion with God and with our brothers and sisters, in a humanity transfigured by love."

That means "everything can become grace. Even the most ordinary things: eating, working, waiting, taking care of the house, supporting a friend," Pope Leo said. 

"However, there is an obstacle that often prevents us from recognizing Christ's presence in our daily lives: the assumption that joy must be free from suffering," he said.

The disciples expected "a different ending" for the Messiah, he said. "But Jesus walks alongside them and patiently helps them understand that pain is not the denial of the promise, but the way through which God has manifested the measure of his love."

Their eyes are opened when they are seated at the table with the Lord and realize "their hearts were already burning" despite their sadness, he said. "This is the greatest surprise: to discover that beneath the ashes of disenchantment and weariness there is always a living ember, waiting only to be rekindled.

"Christ's resurrection teaches us that no history is so marked by disappointment or sin that it cannot be visited by hope," he said. "However distant, lost or unworthy we may feel, there is no distance that can extinguish the unfailing power of God's love."

"The risen Lord walks alongside each of us, as we travel our paths -- those of work and commitment, but also those of suffering and loneliness -- and with infinite delicacy asks us to let him warm our hearts," the pope said..

"He waits patiently for the moment when our eyes will open to see his friendly face, capable of transforming disappointment into hopeful expectation, sadness into gratitude, resignation into hope," he added.

"The Risen One desires only to manifest his presence, to become our companion on the road and to kindle in us the certainty that his life is stronger than any death," he said.

"Let us then ask for the grace to recognize his humble and discreet presence, not to expect a life without trials, to discover that every pain, if inhabited by love, can become a place of communion," the pope said.

Christian joy, he added, "comes from the certainty that the Lord is alive, walks with us, and gives us the possibility to start again at every moment."

Pope: God is always near, even in our failure

A look at Pope Leo's general audience Oct. 8, 2025. (CNS video/Robert Duncan)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- True disciples of Christ listen to and understand others, and they always speak the truth, even in the presence of those who are powerful, Pope Leo XIV said.

However, Christian witness "is not to be confused with ideological propaganda," since witness arises from friendship with the Lord and "is an authentic principle of interior transformation and social awareness," he said in his message to young people ahead of the local celebrations of World Youth Day Nov. 23, the solemnity of Christ the King.

Jesus "does not want us to be servants, nor 'activists' of a political party; he calls us to be with him as friends, so that our lives may be renewed," the pope wrote.

Therefore, "do not follow those who use the words of faith to divide; instead, make plans to remove inequalities and reconcile divided and oppressed communities," the pope wrote in the message released by the Vatican Oct. 7, the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. 

The November celebration of World Youth Day is taking place a few months after the summer celebration of the Jubilee of Youth held in Rome and two years before the international celebration in Seoul, South Korea, in 2027.

The theme for local celebrations in 2025, "You also are my witnesses, because you have been with me" from the beginning, is taken from St. John's Gospel account of Jesus sending his disciples into the world to bear witness to Christ despite the threat of persecution.

In his message, the pope thanked all the young people who came to Rome or were united from afar through prayer during the Jubilee.

"I hope the Jubilee encounter marks for each of you a step forward in Christian life and a strong encouragement to persevere in witnessing to your faith," which requires courage, he wrote.

There are two aspects of witness, he wrote: "our friendship with Jesus, which we receive from God as a gift, and our commitment to be builders of peace in society."

Jesus "fully knows who we are and why we are here; young people, he knows your heart, your indignation in the face of discrimination and injustice, your desire for truth and beauty, for joy and peace," he wrote. "Through his friendship, he listens to you, motivates you, and guides you, calling each of you to a new life."

"True witnesses do not seek to occupy the center stage, nor to bind their followers to themselves," he said in his message. "Christian witness is neither a proclamation of ourselves nor a celebration of our spiritual, intellectual or moral abilities."

True witnesses, therefore, "are free to listen, to understand, and also to speak the truth to everyone, even in the presence of those who are powerful," he wrote, because they are "recognizing and pointing to Jesus when he appears, as he is the only one who saves us."

Witnesses can become missionaries by walking with other young people and showing them that God, in Jesus, is "closeness, compassion and tender love," he wrote.

This is especially important as so many young people "are exposed to violence, forced to use weapons, separated from their loved ones, and compelled to migrate or flee," he wrote. They, like everyone, have the same yearning for meaning in life.

Jesus does not hide the "painful reality" that his disciples-witnesses experience rejection "and sometimes even violent opposition," Pope Leo wrote. "However, it becomes an opportunity to put into practice the greatest commandment, 'Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.'"

Do not be "tempted to react instinctively by putting yourselves on the same level as those who have rejected you, adopting aggressive attitudes," he told young people. Instead, "overcome evil with good." 

In fact, those who enjoy a true friendship with Christ reflect a warm, fraternal way of life, "made up of selfless closeness, sincere compassion and genuine tenderness," he wrote.

"The witness of fraternity and peace that friendship with Christ awakens in us casts off indifference and spiritual laziness, helping us to overcome closed-mindedness and suspicion," he wrote, and it encourages people to work together through volunteerism or "political charity" in a way that builds "new living conditions for all."

"Let us listen to the voice of God within us and overcome our selfishness, becoming active artisans of peace," he wrote.

Pope Leo encouraged young people to remember Pope Francis' insistence to "go beyond ourselves and our comfort zones" because "if we do not go to the poor and those who feel excluded from the kingdom of God, we cannot encounter Christ and bear witness to him."

He invited young people to read the Gospels and reflect on the lives of Jesus' friends and witnesses. "You will find that they all discovered the true meaning of life through their living relationship with Christ."

"Indeed, our deepest questions are not heard or answered by endlessly scrolling on our cell phones, which captures our attention but leaves us with tired minds and empty hearts," he wrote. "The fulfillment of our authentic desires always comes through going beyond ourselves."