Pope Leo XIV, four months into his pontificate, is finalizing the publication of his first major magisterial document. According to Reuters, three sources close to the Vatican confirmed that the text will be titled Dilexit te (“He loved you”) and will focus on the needs of the poor.
The new document follows in the footsteps of Dilexit nos (“He loved us”), the last encyclical of Francis, who died in April 2025, and symbolizes the continuity of priorities between the two pontiffs. Francis, who for twelve years set the course of the universal Church, had made attention to the marginalized the heart of his magisterium, with gestures such as meals with Rome’s homeless and harsh criticisms of the indifference of the global economic system.
A new Rerum novarum for the 21st century
According to Il Fatto Quotidiano, the October apostolic exhortation will only be the prelude to Pope Leo’s true programmatic text: a social encyclical dedicated to artificial intelligence, scheduled for early 2026.
The Pope explained that he chose the name Leo in reference to Leo XIII, author of the historic Rerum novarum (1891), which inaugurated the Church’s social doctrine. Now, Prevost wants to offer the world a new reflection in the face of the current technological revolution: “Today the Church offers its heritage of social doctrine to respond to the developments of artificial intelligence, which pose new challenges in the defense of human dignity, justice, and work.”
A pontificate taking shape
According to Reuters, it is not clear whether Dilexit te will address various issues or focus on a single theme. What is certain is that Leo XIV, the first American pope and former Cardinal Robert Prevost, seems determined to unite continuity and novelty: to carry forward the social legacy of Francis and Benedict, while at the same time addressing the unprecedented challenges of the digital age.
The magisterium of Leo XIV begins with a gesture of continuity toward the poor and projects toward the future with an encyclical of great scope. Expectations now center on how the Pope will articulate in that document the challenges of artificial intelligence with the Church’s social tradition. The horizon remains open, and the Catholic world awaits with attention what promises to be one of the fundamental pieces of the beginning of his pontificate.