Cardinal Felipe Arizmendi, Bishop Emeritus of San Cristóbal de Las Casas and head of the Doctrine of the Faith at the Mexican Episcopal Conference (CEM), offers Exaudi readers his weekly article.

FACTS

Bishop Samuel Ruiz, my predecessor in Chiapas, was criticized by many because he wholeheartedly defended the dignity and rights of the indigenous peoples of his diocese, who were treated like slaves, discriminated against, and oppressed. When I was sent there, some feared that I would undermine his pastoral work; others wished, precisely for that, that the diocese would take another path and stop fighting for the dignity of the indigenous peoples. Since I realized that this work was distinctly evangelical and Catholic, rather than condemning it, I sought to continue it and give it greater strength, because the option for the poor is not so much a choice that one can make or not. Still, it is constitutive of the Church. If that option is not made, we would not even be Christians.

It’s true that some, especially the most important catechists of that diocese, chose to take up arms and rise against the oppressive system. My predecessor helped them realize the injustice they were suffering and that the social, cultural, and political system needed to be changed, but he was an enemy of armed struggle; he never encouraged that path; he even dismissed those catechists from their positions. Some classified him as a proponent of a liberation theology that they considered Marxist, communist, and not Catholic; however, what he did, and continues to do, is a liberation theology that is distinctly biblical, Catholic, and perfectly in line with God’s plans.

Pope Francis, in continuity with the entire biblical and patristic tradition, and with the most recent teachings of the Popes, strongly insisted on this preferential love for the poor, and for this he was criticized. They expected his successor to reverse course and for the Church to focus more on the religious, on the liturgy, on pious practices, and to stop promoting social justice, the rights and dignity of the marginalized, and the care of our common home. It turns out that Pope Leo XIV, especially in his recent Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi te (I Loved You),   does not reverse course, but rather deepens this preferential option, which will never be exclusive or excluding.

LIGHTNING

The Pope’s exhortation has five chapters: “Some Indispensable Words,” “God Chooses the Poor,” “A Church for the Poor,” “A Continuing History,” and “A Permanent Challenge.”  From the outset, he says he seeks to continue what Pope Francis had planned to tell us, and even transcribes some of his words. I share with you some paragraphs of what Pope Leo XIV is now telling us:

“The divine and human love of the Heart of Christ identifies with the smallest in society and with his love, given to the end, shows the dignity of every human being, especially when he is weakest, most miserable and suffering. Contemplating the love of Christ helps us to pay more attention to the suffering and needs of others, making us strong enough to participate in his work of liberation, as instruments for spreading his love”  (2).

I share  “the desire of my beloved predecessor that all Christians may perceive the strong connection between the love of Christ and his call to reach out to the poor. Indeed, I too consider it necessary to insist on this path of sanctification, because the call to recognize him in the poor and suffering reveals the very heart of Christ, his deepest sentiments and choices, to which every saint strives to conform himself”  (3).  “No gesture of affection, not even the smallest, will be forgotten, especially if it is directed toward those who live in pain, loneliness or need”  (4).

“We are not on the horizon of charity, but of Revelation; contact with those who have neither power nor greatness is a fundamental way of encountering the Lord of history. In the poor, He still has something to say to us”  (5).

“I am convinced that the preferential option for the poor generates an extraordinary renewal both in the Church and in society, when we are able to free ourselves from self-referential and manage to hear their cry”  (7).

“God shows his concern for the needs of the poor. Therefore, by listening to the cry of the poor, we are called to identify with the heart of God, who is concerned about the needs of his children, especially those most in need. If, on the other hand, we remain indifferent to this cry, the poor would appeal to the Lord against us, and we would be guilty of sin, distancing ourselves from the very heart of God”  (8).

The Pope just hammered home this point in his homily for the Jubilee of Marian Spirituality:  “There are forms of worship that do not unite us with others and numb our hearts. Then we do not experience true encounters with those whom God places in our path. Let us guard against any exploitation of faith, which risks transforming those who are different—often the poor—into enemies, into ‘lepers’ to be avoided and rejected. Mary’s path follows that of Jesus, and Jesus’ path is toward every human being, especially the poor, the wounded, and sinners. Therefore, authentic Marian spirituality makes God’s tenderness, her motherhood, present in the Church”  (12 October 2025).

ACTIONS

To be true worshipers of God, authentic followers of Jesus, exemplary faithful Catholics, we need to be Good Samaritans to all who suffer in body or spirit, and to be a manifestation of the love of God and the Virgin Mary for them.