Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão has called on the Church in India to rediscover its mission of compassion, saying that service to the poor is the truest expression of faith in Christ.
“To serve the poor is to serve Christ,” the cardinal said on October 23 during the annual gathering of Communio Directors at the St. Joseph Vaz Spiritual Renewal Center in Old Goa.
“Charity is not merely a duty but a living act of faith,” he said.
The prelate, who serves as president of both the Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) and the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences (FABC), led the release of the Indian edition of Dilexi Te (I Have Loved You), the first Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Leo XIV.
“Love for Christ finds its truest expression in love for the poor. The disciple who loves the Master cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of His little ones,” he said, urging the faithful “to discover Christ in the faces of the poor and the marginalized.”
He encouraged Catholics to “move from words to action, embracing compassion as the heart of Christian witness,” and reminded them of Jesus’ words: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Published by the CCBI, Dilexi Te focuses on love and service toward the poor. Written by Pope Leo XIV, the document was signed on October 4 and released on October 9, 2025.
It continues the theme of Dilexit Nos, Pope Francis’ 2024 exhortation marking the 350th anniversary of the first apparition of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque.
