Pope Leo XIV issues his first Apostolic Exhortation, “Dilexi te”, as a call to Christ’s disciples “to recognise him in the poor and the suffering”.
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Pope's Biography > Welcome Messages > Conclave Photography > Gift of a Shepherd >The Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te “I have loved you” (Rev 3:9), focused on love for the poor, was signed by Pope Leo XIV on 4 October 2025, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, and was published on 9 October 2025.
“I am happy to make this document my own – adding some reflections – and to issue it at the beginning of my own pontificate, 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. I too consider it essential to insist on this path to holiness, for “in this call to recognise him in the poor and the suffering, we see revealed the very heart of Christ, his deepest feelings and choices, which every saint seeks to imitate”, writes Pope Leo XIV (DT 3).
Dilexi te highlights the importance of being “a Church for the poor” and emphasises that “this is not a matter of mere human kindness but a revelation”.
Bishop Richard Moth, Chair of the Department for Social Justice of the Bishops’ Conference welcomed Pope Leo’s first Apostolic Exhortation and encouraged its application across England and Wales.
In his first Apostolic Exhortation, “Dilexi te” Pope Leo XIV sets out the foundations of Christian Revelation and of the tradition of the Church.
