Dilexit Nos is Pope Francis’s encyclical on the love of Jesus’s Sacred Heart, exploring how this divine and human love meets the deepest needs of our world today. The Sacred Heart is not only a symbol but a living reality that invites us to unity, compassion, and transformation. Through Jesus’s actions, words, and sacrifice, we see His enduring closeness to us, His profound mercy, and His desire for our reconciliation with God and each other. This text calls Catholics to return to the heart, where true self-understanding and love for others begin, and to embrace a faith that inspires both personal and societal renewal.

“Love and the human heart do not always go together, since hatred, indifference and selfishness can also reign in our hearts. Yet we cannot attain our fulfilment as human beings unless we open our hearts to others; only through love do we become fully ourselves. The deepest part of us, created for love, will fulfil God’s plan only if we learn to love. And the heart is the symbol of that love.” (Dilexit Nos, 59)