Pope Francis' fourth encyclical, "Dilexit nos", will be published on October 24. The central theme of the document will be the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as already announced a few months ago.
The purpose of the text, as reported by Vatican Newsis to remind Catholics that in the face of wars, poverty and natural disasters, we must turn our gaze to what is most important: the heart. At the same time, as Pope Francis explained in June 2024, "Dilexit nos" aims to point out that only the love of God can "illuminate the path of ecclesial renewal".
The full title is "Encyclical Letter on the Human and Divine Love of the Heart of Jesus Christ". The text will gather, in the words of the Pontiff, "the precious reflections of previous magisterial texts and a long history that goes back to the Sacred Scripturesto propose again today to the whole Church this worship full of spiritual beauty".
The presentation of the encyclical will take place on October 24 at noon and will be attended by Monsignor Bruno Forte, theologian and Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto, and Sister Antonella Fraccaro, general manager of Disciples of the Gospel.
Four encyclicals
"Dilexit nos" is Pope Francis' fourth encyclical. The first of these was "Lumen Fidei," a letter on faith published on June 29, 2013 and written together with. Benedict XVI. Just two years later, on May 24, 2015, the Holy Father published "Laudato Si'", a document he still mentions frequently and which is focused on the care of the common home.
Finally, the Pontiff's third encyclical was published on October 3, 2020, a year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is not surprising, therefore, that at that time Francis spoke about fraternity and social friendship.
