Vatican City, October 9, 2025: In his first major papal document, Pope Leo called for urgent global efforts to help migrants and reduce economic inequality, echoing one of late Pope Francis’ strongest rebukes of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s anti-immigration policies.
The 104-page apostolic exhortation, titled “Dilexi te” (“I Have Loved You”), focuses on the plight of the poor and the need for sweeping reforms in the global economic system. It calls for a more compassionate and inclusive approach to governance, urging world leaders to prioritize humanity over profit.
Originally drafted by Pope Francis before his death in April after 12 years of papal service, the document was completed and issued by Pope Leo, the first American-born pope. “I am happy to make this document my own – adding some reflections – and to issue it at the beginning of my pontificate,” Leo wrote in the introduction.
Cardinal Michael Czerny, a senior adviser who worked closely with both popes, confirmed that the document now fully represents Leo’s views. “This is Pope Leo’s document,” Czerny said at a Vatican press briefing.
In the text, Leo references border walls and immigration policy, reinforcing the Church’s stance on compassion over exclusion. “The Church, like a mother, accompanies those who are walking,” Leo wrote. “She knows that in every rejected migrant, it is Christ himself who knocks at the door of the community.”
“Where the world sees threats, the Church sees children; where walls are built, she builds bridges,” he added, invoking Pope Francis’ 2016 criticism of Trump’s plan to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The document also delivers a strong moral warning against unchecked capitalism and economic exploitation. “The number of people living in poverty should constantly weigh upon our consciences,” Leo wrote. “There is no shortage of theories justifying the current state of affairs, or the illusion that invisible market forces will fix everything.”
Condemning the “trickle-down” notion of prosperity, he added, “The poor are promised only a few drops that trickle down—until the next global crisis resets everything.”
In one of its most forceful passages, Leo warns that a world without moral conscience risks becoming “a cesspool where dignity drowns in the pursuit of profit.”
While maintaining a more reserved tone than his predecessor, Pope Leo has increasingly voiced strong disapproval of global inequalities and policies that marginalize the vulnerable. The new exhortation signals continuity with Francis’ mission — a call to re-center the Church around compassion, justice, and human dignity.
