"Dilexi Te" or the Treasures of the Church: The Poor

Equipe d’animation missionnaire de Québec
  • https://www.humandevelopment.va/en/news/2025/dilexi_te_esortazione_apostolica_di_papa_leone_xiv_sull_amore_verso_i_poveri.html
  • https://www.humandevelopment.va/en/news/2025/dilexi_te_esortazione_apostolica_di_papa_leone_xiv_sull_amore_verso_i_poveri.html
  • https://www.humandevelopment.va/en/news/2025/dilexi_te_esortazione_apostolica_di_papa_leone_xiv_sull_amore_verso_i_poveri.html

This story is said to have taken place in Rome around the year 258 AD, during the persecution of Christians under Emperor Valerian. Saint Lawrence, a deacon, was ordered by the prefect to hand over the treasures of the Church.

Lawrence asked for three days to gather them. When the time came, he assembled the poor, the sick, the lame, and the blind, and brought them before the prefect.

When the prefect demanded, “Where are the treasures of the Church?”, Lawrence calmly replied:
“These are the treasures of the Church.”

Furious, the prefect shouted, “How dare you mock me?”

Lawrence answered,

“What more precious treasure has Christ than those in whom He lives?”
 
Enraged, the prefect ordered that Lawrence be tortured and burned.

 (Latin original: Ambrose II.28.140–142; translation from the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, vol. 10, p. 74.)

A Life bearing Tradition

This brief but powerful story captures the spirit of the Papal Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te. It is impossible to read the document without recalling such moments from Church tradition, moments when Christians recognized that the poor and the vulnerable are not not just to be aided, but also cherished as the true treasures of the Church.

Throughout history, Christian communities have encountered women and men in vulnerable situations. These encounters have taught the communities of faith to see in each suffering person not a burden, but a precious reflection of Christ Himself. Their lives remind us that we are all called to build communion with one another and to foster a universal fraternity rooted in love.

The Heart of the Church’s Mission

In a text that is both profound and demanding, Pope Leo presents an overview of Sacred Scripture, the history of the Church, and the witness of saints and communities across the centuries. At the heart of his message lies the essential truth: care for those in need is at the heart of the Church’s mission.

Dilexi Te's teaching, continues and deepens the social vision of Pope Francis. It confronts the realities of “social sin” and the unjust structures that create suffering, what Francis once called “an economy that kills.” The exhortation invites all people to recognize injustice for what it truly is, and not to accept it as “normal.” It warns against mixing a logic of exclusion with the Gospel message.

Faith in Action

In a gesture that reflects this same conviction, Pope Leo declared during his meeting with the World Popular Movements on October 23, 2025:
“Land, shelter, and work are sacred rights.”

He also highlighted some of the great challenges of our time: the growing inequality between peoples, the collateral damage caused by new technologies, and the inhumane treatment of migrants. His words remind us that faith must always be expressed in concrete actions of justice and mercy.

A Resource for Reflection and Action

Dilexi Te is a precious resource that deserves to be read, discussed, and shared widely. It invites both reflection and action, encouraging us to see Christ in the faces of the poor and to recognize them as the true treasures of the Church.

To help deepen our understanding, the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development offers excellent materials to study and teach the message of Dilexi Te. These resources provide tools for communities and educators to explore the document more fully and to live out its call to solidarity in our world today.