By Joshua McElwee
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) -Pope Leo will publish the first document of his tenure on October 9, the Vatican said on Saturday, with a text that is likely to offer hints about the new pontiff’s priorities for the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church.
The document, known as an apostolic exhortation, will take the name “Dilexi te” (He loved you), and was formally signed by the pope on Saturday ahead of its publication, the Vatican said.
Several Vatican officials told Reuters in recent weeks that Leo’s text will focus primarily on the needs of the world’s poor.
The Vatican did not give details about the document on Saturday but the title suggests Leo wants to signal continuity with the late Pope Francis, whose last major document, an encyclical, was issued in October 2024 with the name “Dilexit nos” (He loved us).
Leo’s document completes a writing project first started by Francis but left uncompleted before the pontiff’s death in April, after 12 years leading the global Church, said the officials.
Leo, the first U.S. pope, was elected to replace Francis by the world’s cardinals on May 8.
Leo formally signed the text on Saturday, the Catholic feast day celebrating St. Francis of Assisi, the 13th century Italian saint renowned for his vow of poverty and closeness to nature.
Pope Francis, the first pontiff to take the saint’s name, shunned many of the trappings of the papacy. He often hosted meals with Rome’s homeless population and frequently criticised the global market system as not caring for society’s most vulnerable people.
Francis’ last encyclical, “Dilexit nos,” took a different approach from many of his other writings, largely abstaining from talking about political issues and focusing on spiritual themes.
In that text, Francis urged the world’s Catholics to abandon the “mad pursuit” of money and instead devote themselves to their faith.
(Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Alvise Armellini and Susan Fenton)
