• QUESTION:
  The publication of “Dilexit nos” has generated some surprise. After his social doctrine encyclicals, “Laudato si‘” and “Fratelli tutti”, Pope Francis released this spiritual encyclical. How did you receive this document?

ANSWER: Pope Francis is a pope of surprises. While the announcement of the encyclical and its eventual publication were sort of unexpected due to the focus on the Synod of Bishops, I was not totally surprised that the Holy Father would release an encyclical on Jesus’ love for us, symbolized in His Sacred Heart. For me, it was the Holy Father’s way of making the Christolo-gical foundation of the social encyclicals “Laudato si‘” and “Fratelli tutti” more explicit.
When we receive the love of Jesus, it enables us to see a brother and sister in other human beings (Fratelli tutti) and to be caring, humble, and responsible stewards of our common home (Laudato si’). I should say that Pope Francis’ writings and discourses are consistently grounded on our faith in the person and mission of Jesus Christ. I suggest that we read once again these two social encyclicals to find traces or seeds of Dilexit nos already present in them.
(Vatican News)

• H.E. Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle,
  Pro-Prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization