New Papal Nuncio Discusses Pope Francis' Message to the United States
The Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life welcomed the Georgetown and greater D.C. Catholic communities for a panel discussion on Pope Francis’ message to leaders of the United States and members of the Catholic Church (watch the video).
In his opening remarks, Georgetown President John DeGioia tied the work of Pope Francis to the university’s mission, noting that “as the oldest Catholic and Jesuit university in the United States, we have an extraordinary resource: a faith, enlivened through the Ignatian tradition, that sustains us and consoles us, inspires us and challenges us.”
A Church of Encounter
The event began with a discussion between Founder and Director of the Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life John Carr and His Excellency Archbishop Christophe Pierre, papal nuncio to the United States.
Archbishop Pierre explained that “[The Church] is only effective when she goes outside of herself, and encounters people on the geographical and existential margins of life” and that immigration and advocacy for the poor “are not the ideas of the pope; this is the Gospel.”
Finding Common Ground
Later, Archbishop Pierre was joined by Kim Daniels, a papal appointee to the Vatican Secretariat for Communications; Maria Teresa Gastón, managing director of the Foundations of Christian Leadership Program at the Duke Divinity School; and the Honorable Kenneth Hackett, former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See and former president of Catholic Relief Services.
Daniels reflected on the widening bridge between conservative and liberal Catholics with two pieces of advice: “first, you support the Holy Father…and the second thing is to focus on the things we share. That’s serving the voiceless and vulnerable, resisting the throwaway culture, respecting the family and the good that it does in society.”
The Francis Factor
Gastón expressed on the cross-religious popularity of Pope Francis through anecdotes of a 16-year-old preparing for confirmation who said she “so appreciates his attention to the marginalized” and a Lutheran candidate in the Duke Divinity School who stated, “We all look to him, he loves his consolation and his transparency, and how he teaches us how to do theology like Latin Americans—pull up a chair and let’s talk.”
Ambassador Hackett elaborated on the Pope’s ability to mobilize communities through sharing a story of his own time at the Holy See. He said, “Pope Francis called for a prayer vigil, and thousands upon thousands showed up at St. Peter’s to pray that the Americans didn’t bomb Syria…he can bring hundreds, millions of people to the streets around the world."