Pope Leo XIV’s First Apostolic Exhortation: Dilexi Te (“I have loved you”) emphasizes the essential Christian duty of loving and serving the poor.
On Friday 20th (clergy) and Saturday the 21st February, over 145 people from across the diocese attended an event at Buckfast Abbey Conference Centre, for days of reflection hosted by Caritas Diocese of Plymouth and CAFOD, to reflect and understand more deeply, the Holy Father’s message. We were grateful to be joined by Bishop Nicholas Hudson and three inspirational speakers to help us act on Pope Leo’s message.
Rev Dr Richard Finn spoke of the ‘theological heart of the document’ and explained the structure of the document; how we should read it, who it addresses and how we should act upon it. He broke open the Pope’s document to help us understand the exhortation’s place in Church history and what Pope Leo is asking us to do. Quoting Dilexi Te, he said: ‘Love for the Lord, then, is one with love for the poor’ (#5), or put the other way round, there’s no genuine love for the Lord without love for the poor.’ Fr Richard’s brilliant input steeped all present in the history of the “burning heart of the Church’s mission”, love for the poorest of our sisters and brothers.
Christine Allen, CAFOD’s Executive Director, delivered a passionate exploration of the international expression of Dilexi Te, and how CAFOD was founded from it’s outset in the love and solidarity of the Church here with the communities around the world. She said: ‘Responding to the needs of those who are poor, marginalised and vulnerable is very much the everyday of the Church.’ Christine elaborated using the powerful programmes of CAFOD around the world. Her talk also highlighted that Pope Leo recognised poverty in many forms: ‘marginalization—such as lack of rights, dignity, or freedom’ and how he ‘calls Christians to defend immigrants, prisoners, victims of exploitation, and those harmed by environmental degradation.’
Raymond Friel OBE, CEO of Caritas Social Action Network, brilliantly concluded the talks to help understand Dilexi Te through the lens of the Church’s work here in the diocese and across the nation, as well as looking at previous papal exhortations and the Second Vatican Council. He drew attention to Pope Leo’s emphasis on how we must walk alongside the poor, to listen to the voice of those in poverty and how the Holy Father calls us to be advocates for change: “We need to be increasingly committed to resolving the structural causes of poverty….’(Dilexi te, 94) emphasising the need to work for the relief, defence and liberation of those in poverty.
The day closed with a simple and moving mass, celebrated by Bishop Nicholas in the Blessed Sacrament chapel in Buckfast Abbey.
Caritas Diocese of Plymouth will be preparing the video recordings of the day to be used as community refection sessions and is also happy to organise events at Deanery and parish level to help us to reflect as a Diocese how we are responding to Dilexi Te. Please get in touch if you would like to invite us to run an event or we can help in some other way. Please contact caritas@prcdtr.org.uk
“A Church that sets no limits to love, that knows no enemies to fight but only men & women to love, is the Church that the world needs today.”
Pope Leo XIV Dilexi Te #20