- Feb 5, 2002
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Drawing copiously from the writings of his predecessors, Pope Leo underscores the deep Christological continuity of the Church’s teaching on our obligation to see the face of Christ in the poor.
Pope Leo XIV’s first magisterial document of his papacy, Dilexi Te (“I have loved you”), has understandably generated a lot of interest. An apostolic exhortation is a fairly low-level document in terms of the classical criteria for adjudicating the authority of magisterial texts. Pope Leo has played his cards close to the vest during these first months of his papacy, doing and saying little that would generate much controversy, and so the level of interest in this—the first of his documents—is running almost at a fever pitch. And so it is not surprising that many Catholics from all sides of the ecclesial spectrum have submitted the new text to a detailed analysis to glean any hints of where Pope Leo intends to take the Church.
I think that has led many to overthink the text and to see in it more than it intends or portends. All in all, for reasons I will elucidate below, I think Dilexi Te, though a fine document that is at points both profound and beautiful, says very little that is new in the sense of a theological novelty, says hardly anything even mildly controversial, and is at pains to position itself as in total continuity with the Tradition. I liked the text, but I think those seeking a deeper insight into the mind of Pope Leo will come away empty-handed.
No new insights into the thought of Pope Leo
Continued below.
www.catholicworldreport.com
Pope Leo XIV’s first magisterial document of his papacy, Dilexi Te (“I have loved you”), has understandably generated a lot of interest. An apostolic exhortation is a fairly low-level document in terms of the classical criteria for adjudicating the authority of magisterial texts. Pope Leo has played his cards close to the vest during these first months of his papacy, doing and saying little that would generate much controversy, and so the level of interest in this—the first of his documents—is running almost at a fever pitch. And so it is not surprising that many Catholics from all sides of the ecclesial spectrum have submitted the new text to a detailed analysis to glean any hints of where Pope Leo intends to take the Church.
I think that has led many to overthink the text and to see in it more than it intends or portends. All in all, for reasons I will elucidate below, I think Dilexi Te, though a fine document that is at points both profound and beautiful, says very little that is new in the sense of a theological novelty, says hardly anything even mildly controversial, and is at pains to position itself as in total continuity with the Tradition. I liked the text, but I think those seeking a deeper insight into the mind of Pope Leo will come away empty-handed.
No new insights into the thought of Pope Leo
Continued below.
Reflections on <i>Dilexi Te</i>, the first magisterial document of Leo XIV’s papacy
www.catholicworldreport.com
