In our ongoing discussion on the very first Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Leo XIV, Dilexit Te (He loved you), we underscored that to appreciate this papal document, one ought to read it alongside Pope Francis’ final encyclical Dilexit Nos (He loved us). These two magisterial letters constitute a single theological matrix. Dilexit Nos contemplates and makes present the love revealed in the heart of Jesus (Cor Jesum); Dilexit Te extends that love outward-ad extra. Thus, Dilexit Te, is a passionate invitation to love the poor, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit the prisoner, and bandage the wounds of so many afflicted members of our human society. In the movement from “He loved us” to “I have loved you,” we locate and welcome an unbroken humanitarian connection between Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV. This pastoral bridge enables us to enter the same classroom with the Argentinian Pope and the first Pope from the United States of America, Pope Leo who was also a missionary in Peru. Both teachers of faith advocate for a missionary discipleship rooted in divine love, human affection, and universal charity.
In the present study, we shall consider and put into perspective some of the key questions and moral quandaries that Pope Leo XIV highlighted in this apostolic exhortation-Dilexit Te. These questions include: What does poverty mean in our time? Why are people poor? How do institutions manufacture poverty? Where do our programs unintentionally objectify the poor? In answering the first question on what is poverty?, Pope Leo offers a structural and theological hermeneutics of poverty by recognizing the truth that poverty is a multifaceted phenomenon in the sense that there are many forms of poverty: the poverty of those who lack material means of subsistence, the poverty of those who are socially marginalized and lack the means to give voice to their dignity and abilities. Additionally, Pope Leo XIV’s categories of poverty include moral and spiritual poverty, cultural poverty, the poverty of those who find themselves in a condition of personal or social weakness or fragility, and the poverty of those who have no rights, no space, no freedom (DT, 9). Because of these different faces of poverty that continually undermine the dignity of the human person and often caricature of the well-being of nations, the Holy Father suggests that concrete commitment to the poor must also be accompanied by a change in mentality that can have a cultural level impact (DT, 11). Therefore, we must not let our guard down when it comes to poverty. We should be particularly concerned about the serious conditions in which many people find themselves due to lack of food and water (DT, 12). Pope Leo observed that “doubly poor are those women who endure situations of exclusion, mistreatment and violence, since they are frequently less able to defend their rights (DT, 12).
The second question is, why are people poor? The Holy Father observed that people are poor because while some economic rules have proved effective for economic growth but at the same time they remain grossly ineffective for integral human development. Wealth has increased, but so has inequality, resulting in the emergence of new forms of poverty. For example, in the past, lack of access to electricity was not considered a sign of poverty, nor was it a source of hardship. Today, however, without electricity, many people are excluded from the use of those social amenities that promote and sustain life in our global world of today. Furthermore, no Christian can regard the poor simply as a societal problem; they are part of our family. They are one of us. Our relationship with the poor should not be reduced to merely another ecclesial activity or function (DT, 104). In the Scriptures, God is presented as the friend and liberator of the poor, the one who hears the cry of the poor and intervenes to free them (Psalm 34:7). God, the refuge of the poor, denounces through the prophets the injustices committed against the weak through the prophets and exhorts Isreal to renew its worship from within, because one cannot pray and offer sacrifice while oppressing the weakest and poorest (DT, 17). It is on this note that St. Augustine of Hippo saw caring for the poor as concrete proof of the sincerity of faith. According to the Doctor of Grace, anyone who says they love God and has no compassion for the needy is lying (1 John 4:20). Commenting on Jesus’ encounter with the rich young man and the “treasure in heaven” reserved for those who give their possession to the poor (Mt 19:21), Augustine puts the following words in the Lord’s mouth: “I received the earth, I will give heaven; I received temporal goods, I will give back eternal goods; I received bread, I will give life…I have been given hospitality, but I will give a home; I was visited when I was sick, but I will give health; I was visited in prison, but I will give freedom. The bread you have given to the poor has been consumed, but the bread I will give will not only refresh you, but will never end” (Augustine, Sermo LXXXVI, 5:CCSL 41b, Turnhout 2019, 411-412) (cf. DT, 45).
It is worthwhile noting that by her very nature, the Church is in solidarity with the poor, the excluded, the marginalized and all those considered the outcasts of society. The poor are at the heart of the Church because “our faith in Christ, who became poor, and was always close to the poor and the outcast, is the basis of our concern for the integral development of society’s most neglected members” (Evangelium Gaudium, 186). The fact that the poor are at the heart of the Church made it imperative for Pope Leo XIV to provide a beautiful catalogue of many saints, who allowed the care for the poor to be at the center of their love for God and their love for humanity. Among these holy men and women are St. Francis of Assisi, whose love for the poor earned him the title “The Poor Man of Assisi,” St. Stephen, the first Christian Martyr, and St. Lawrence, who brought the poor before the Roman authorities and said, “These are the treasures of the Church.” He referenced the early Church Fathers, including St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Polycarp, and St. Justin the Martyr. Furthermore, the Holy Father recognized the roles of St. John Chrysostom and St. Augustine, who in their writings, advocated for the poor and helped believers to appreciate the truth that in the poor, we contemplate the face of Jesus, who identified with the poor-“Whatever you do for the least of my brethren, you do for me” (Matthew 25:40). Other examples of these heroic men and women include, St. Cyprian, St. Gregory the Great, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, St. Vincent de Paul, St. John of God, St. Camillus de Lellis, St. Louise de Marillac, St. Basil the Great, St. Benedict of Nursia, St. John of Matha, St. Raymond Penfort, St. Claire of Assisi, St. Dominic de Guzman, St. Joseph Calasanz, St. Marcellin Champagnat, St. John Baptist, St. Frances Cabrini, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Dulce of the Poor, Charles de Foucauld, St. Kathrine Drexel, St. Oscar Romero, St. Pope John II, etc.
In our next discussion, we shall explore and constructively review the institutions and structures that continue to frustrate the efforts the Church is making to advocate for and promote a more just society, where the poor and the needy can feel the love of God and the hospitality of their brethren.
Rev. Benedict Nwachukwu-Udaku is the Director of Academic Formation at St. Junipero Serra House of Formation in the Diocese of San Bernardino.