Pope Leo XIV on Thursday called for the poor and marginalised, including migrants, to be at the centre of the Catholic Church's mission, in the first major publication of his papacy.
In the Apostolic Exhortation "Dilexi te" ("I have loved you" in Latin), the US pope warned against the "growth of a wealthy elite, living in a bubble of comfort and luxury", and a culture "that discards others without even realising it".
He had a particular message for Christians "shaped by secular ideologies" who dismiss or ridicule charitable works, "as if they were an obsession on the part of a few and not the burning heart of the Church's mission."
The document takes a wide view of poverty, from those with no money or food to those who are socially marginalised, including women facing violence and migrants.
"The Church, like a mother, accompanies those who are walking. Where the world sees threats, she sees children; where walls are built, she builds bridges," it said.
The comments, likely to be seen as a veiled criticism of US President Donald Trump's immigration policy, come after Leo last month criticised the "inhuman treatment" of immigrants in the US.
Leo recalled the photo of Alan Kurdi, the drowned Syrian Kurdish toddler whose body was washed up on a Turkish beach in 2015, and who became a symbol of the plight of migrants.
"Unfortunately, apart from some momentary outcry, similar events are becoming increasingly irrelevant and seen as marginal news items," he wrote.
- 'Fall into a cesspool' -
With the text and its 121 points, the US pontiff put himself on the same path as his Argentine predecessor Pope Francis, who regularly spoke out on social issues and also criticised Trump's migration policy.
The Vatican said the document was first started by Francis, who died in April after 12 years as Catholic leader, although it did not disclose who wrote what.
"It's 100 percent Francis and 100 percent Leo," quipped Canadian Cardinal Michael Czerny at a Vatican press conference.
Leo, born Robert Francis Prevost, spent two decades in Peru as a missionary with the Augustinian order before becoming head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics in May.
The document emphasises how combating poverty and respect for the societally marginalised have been core tenets of Christianity throughout history.
It also takes square aim at the current economic system.
"We need to be increasingly committed to resolving the structural causes of poverty," Leo wrote, denouncing "the dictatorship of an economy that kills".
He asked: "Are those born with fewer opportunities of lesser value as human beings? Should they limit themselves merely to surviving?
"The worth of our societies, and our own future, depends on the answers we give to these questions. Either we regain our moral and spiritual dignity or we fall into a cesspool."
In 2024, almost 700 million people -- 8.5 percent of the global population -- lived on less than $2.15 a day, according to the World Bank. Progress on tackling poverty stalled with the coronavirus crisis in 2020.
cmk-ar/ide/cc