Pope Francis' vision is taking root

Rome consistory showed Pope Francis' vision is taking root

The consistory for the creation of 20 new cardinals on Aug. 27 showed that Pope Francis is firmly in control of the global church, and shows no signs of slowing down, writes NCR columnist Michael Sean Winters, who is in Rome for the event. 

"Every curial official with whom I have met has spoken about the synodal process and how it is bringing new vigor to the life of the church," writes Winters. 

Critics of the 2021-2023 process for the Synod of Bishops do not fear it will fail but that it will succeed, he says. "It is clear as day that Pope Francis' vision is taking root."

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More background:

• NCR Vatican correspondent Christopher White covered the creation of the new cardinals, and the pope's message to the prelates, on Aug. 27. Francis told the cardinals to practice "unassuming power" in their new roles for the global church.

• Catch up with all of our coverage of the 2022 consistory here.

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I attended a global meeting of Jesuit educators. Here's what I learned about our global responsibility as Catholics

Amid division within U.S. political, social and religious life — including in the U.S. Catholic Church — it's easy to limit our Catholic experiences to what happens locally. Yet, as Georgetown University student Channing Lee learned from a group of representatives from Jesuit colleges and universities this summer, an alternative vision of what it means to be Catholic is shaped by the responsibility of global citizenship.

At the beginning of August, hundreds of representatives from six regions around the world gathered at Boston College to attend the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU) 2022 assembly. University presidents, provosts and other higher education leaders — including many Jesuits, of course — convened to share ideas on improving Jesuit education for students around the world. 

"Despite the multitude of languages we spoke, we held hands while reciting the Lord's Prayer at Mass, physically affirming our shared beliefs and values," Lee writes. "As young people, we embraced our duty to share such a global outlook with our peers at home and formulated plans for how we could take direct action at our home institutions."

Read more of this commentary here.

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More headlines

• At Global Sisters Report, The Life panelists answer the question: Why do you stay in religious life? What gives you hope? You can find all of The Life series here.

• ICYMI: Luxembourg Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, the leading organizer of the Vatican's newly revamped process for the 2021-23 Synod of Bishops, says he is not seeking to change the Catholic Church's teaching on gay relationships, but would like to see a change in attitude. 

• ICYMI: Eleven peace activists arrested on charges of disorderly conduct appeared in New York City Municipal Count last week. The activists blocked the door of the U.S. Mission to the United Nations during a review conference on the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in early August.