Pope Leo XIV has delivered a stark condemnation of the wealthy elite, accusing them of living in a “bubble of comfort and luxury” while the poor suffer on the margins. His first teaching document, released Thursday, confirms his perfect alignment with predecessor Pope Francis on social and economic injustice.

The Vatican unveiled the 100-page document, “I have loved you,” which Pope Francis had begun writing in his final months but never finished. Pope Leo, elected in May, credited Pope Francis with the text, citing him repeatedly, but made it his own and signed it.

The text traces Christianity’s constant concern for the poor, from Biblical citations and church fathers to recent popes’ teachings on migrants, prisoners, and human trafficking victims. Leo praised women’s religious orders for carrying out God’s mandate to care for the sick, feed the poor, and welcome strangers, and lauded lay-led movements advocating for land, housing, and work for the disadvantaged.

Pope Leo concludes that the Catholic Church’s “preferential option for the poor” has existed from the start, is non-negotiable, and is the very essence of being Christian. He calls for renewed commitment to fixing poverty’s structural causes, while providing unquestioning charity to those in need.

The text traces Christianity’s constant concern for the poor, from Biblical citations and church fathers to recent popes’ teachings on migrants, prisoners, and human trafficking victims. Leo praised women’s religious orders for carrying out God’s mandate to care for the sick, feed the poor, and welcome strangers, and lauded lay-led movements advocating for land, housing, and work for the disadvantaged.

Pope Leo concludes that the Catholic Church’s “preferential option for the poor” has existed from the start, is non-negotiable, and is the very essence of being Christian. He calls for renewed commitment to fixing poverty’s structural causes, while providing unquestioning charity to those in need.