Pope Leo XIV placed the poor at the core of the Christian message in his first major document, which was released on Thursday, urging people to defend and protect the most vulnerable as Jesus did while carrying out acts of charity like almsgiving.
Though not an overtly political statement, the document, known as an apostolic exhortation, said that care for the poor also meant “fighting against the structural causes of poverty and inequality.” Leo blamed “ideologies that defend the absolute autonomy of the marketplace and financial speculation” for deepening inequality.
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