At a time of ever-increasing polarization and conflict in the world, Pope Leo XIV called for developing social dialogue through “a healthy ‘culture of negotiation’ which is capable of opening paths where differences seem to close off every possibility of encounter.”
He underlined the importance of this “culture of negotiation” in his address in the Vatican’s Consistorial Hall on Sept. 12, to a high-level multi-national forum of 60 persons from different sectors of society from North and South America. Those present included church leaders, representatives of business, regional development banks, organized national and international labor organizations, university networks, popular movements and community organizations from the Americas.
Commenting on the diverse composition of the participants, Pope Leo said, “Your presence expresses a desire to continue a dialogue that can lead to more humane, sustainable and solidarity-based models of development, capable of protecting the dignity of every person and paying particular attention to those at risk of being left at the margins.”
This was the fourth of the synodal style encounters that were inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical, “Fratelli Tutti,” published in October 2020. The encounters were started by the churches of Latin America and the Caribbean in Bogotá, Colombia in 2022, and developed significantly thanks to the coordination of the Vatican’s Pontifical Commission for Latin America and its secretary, Emilce Cuda, an Argentine theologian whom Pope Francis appointed to the post in February 2022.
Among the church leaders present were two Brazilian cardinals—Jaime Spingler, president of the Latin American Bishops Conference, and Leonardo Steiner, president of the Ecclesial Conference of the Amazon—and Bishop Daniel Flores, vice-president of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops.
At a press Vatican conference the previous day, Bishop Flores said “this kind of gathering reminds us that from the Catholic point of view, history is not always a matter of what the powerful decide, that there are other things that move history. One of them is social friendship and a sense of justice and a sense of what is right. But we have to give those voices a chance to speak, and that is what this has been about.”
Alongside him at the press conference was Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, the largest voluntary federation of labor unions. She was part of a strong labor representation at the Vatican encounter that included Bea Bruske, president of the Canadian Labor Congress, the largest labor organization in Canada, and labor leaders from the two most unionized countries in Latin America: Argentina (Gerardo Martinez, member of the governing body of the International Labor Organization) and Brazil (Rafael Freire Neto, prominent Brazilian union leader and secretary general of the Trade Union Confederation of the Americas).
Asked by America for her take on this encounter, Ms. Shuler said: “To me, it is incredibly impressive to see the power that the church has to convene. I mean, you would normally not have people in a room like we have [at this event] without the personal intervention of leaders in the church saying, ‘We need you here.’”
Moreover, she added, “the encyclical ‘Magnifica Humanitas’ is to me the most powerful signal that you can send because who has more authority to speak on the dignity of people and making sure that we are creating systems around the world that put people at the center, and if we’re taking on big challenges, that we have to have people at the table who are often voiceless.”
Indeed, the “voiceless people” also had their input at this meeting, as Francis as pope and Cardinal Prevost (now Leo XIV)—who as president of the Pontifical Commission of Latin America gave the green light for this meeting—had wanted. Their concerns were represented by members of the “popular movements” (grassroots movements) and by leaders of community organizations including Joe Rubio, national co-director of the Industrial Areas Foundation.
Mr. Rubio told America: “While the session tackled such dire topics as climate change, the technological upheaval of A.I., and extreme wealth inequality, the main challenge was to build trusting relationships across sectors which don’t traditionally collaborate.”
Moreover, he said, “the promise of on-going social dialogue is that it will stir our imagination to create the power to bring about a just society,” and he underlined that “most fundamental to its success will be the inclusion of those who are bearing the sheer brunt the profound dislocations, vulnerable workers, immigrants, and communities on the margins. The recognition that community organizing belongs in the discussion is vital.”
Most importantly too was the presence of a number of business leaders at the Vatican event, including Fred Humphries of Microsoft, Leandro Gobbo of PLS, one of the world’s largest hard-rock lithium producers, and Nicolas Mallo Huergo of Integra Capital. Also participating were members of the U.S. Chambers of Commerce, including Stephanie Ferguson Melhorn.
The university networks were also represented at this event by, among others, Anderson Pedroso S.J., president of the Organization of the Catholic Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Pope Leo met and greeted each of the participants individually on the third and final day of their meeting called “Fratelli Tutti: North-South socio-environmental dialogue.”
In his address, delivered part in Spanish and part in English, he encouraged them “to allow yourselves to be challenged by the signs of the times and embrace the contributions of the sciences, of cultures and of human experiences to discern possible paths forward.” He emphasized that “negotiation is part of that work and is part of a ‘better kind of politics’ capable of seeking the common good above particular interests.”
This fourth “encounter” sought to address the dramatic socio-environmental situation in the Americas, which, according to the Global Campus on Human Rights, “is defined by intense climate vulnerabilities, escalating resource conflicts, and deep socio-economic inequalities that disproportionately impact marginalized and indigenous communities.” Participants looked for ways to respond to this situation through a social dialogue between the different subjects involved, a dialogue that listens to both the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth.
Pope Leo told the gathering, “When public institutions, businesses, workers, universities, communities and social organizations share their knowledge, skills and resources in the service of the common good, it gives tangible form to a conviction which has been maturing within the social teaching of the church, and which my predecessors have developed in various ways: the great social challenges require shared responsibility, participation and collaboration amongst the various sectors of society.” He recalled that Pope Francis referred to this as “social friendship.”
Emilce Cuda explained to America that the term “social friendship” is called “social dialogue in the secular world…and social dialogue is a negotiation that results in a collective agreement, but it’s part of a negotiation; you have to know how to negotiate.” She recalled that Pope Leo in “Magnifica Humanitas” “speaks of the need to promote a culture of negotiation,” as he did in his speech today.
In his talk, the first American pope emphasized that “an agenda of shared responsibility can help ensure that legitimate differences do not lead to fragmentation.” He said the church’s synodal experience has shown that “truly listening to differences does not mean diluting them, but learning to discern them and to seek, from within them, that which can serve the common good.”
He insisted that “this exercise is particularly necessary at a time when polarized narratives find immediate amplification and when confrontation can easily become an instrument of power.”
Speaking at a moment when many questions are being raised about an A.I. that risks going out of human control, Pope Leo emphasized yet again what he said in the encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” about the need for A.I. and the new technology to “be guided with foresight: by institutions capable of regulating without stifling, and protecting without taking over; by businesses that recognize work and dignity as measures of success; by intermediary organizations and educational communities that rebuild trust and relationships; and by citizens who cultivate responsibility, moderation, discernment and a sense of truth.”
In the encyclical “Magnifica Humanitas,” Pope Leo had spoken about how the prophet Nehemiah when “faced with a Jerusalem in ruins, he listened to the suffering of his people, brought it before God, discerned what needed to be done, sought the necessary resources and organized a project that could only be carried out with the participation of many people.”
In his speech, he proposed to this multi-sectorial gathering that they follow suit. He encouraged them to “enter the construction sites of history—research laboratories, technology companies, schools, the media, institutions, local communities—in order to rebuild what has collapsed and to protect what is threatened.”
He emphasized that “negotiation” is part of that work and part of a “better kind of politics” that is “capable of seeking the common good above particular interests.” He encouraged them “to cultivate a healthy ‘culture of negotiation’ which is capable of opening paths where differences seem to close off every possibility of encounter.” In this way, he said, “you will also be able to contribute to the diplomacy of peace that our world needs.”
Commenting on this Vatican encounter, Cardinal Steiner told America, “We are living in a time when there is a great need for dialogue, for listening and figuring out what is best for humanity. Diversity isn’t a problem; the problem arises when people become enemies. I believe that this gathering—this way of being, of engaging in dialogue—goes a long way toward helping us come together and think about humanity, but also about our communities and our countries.”
In this context the Brazilian cardinal said, “The church has something to say to all of us, and as church, we must speak our minds. Whether it’s accepted or not is another matter, but what struck me in this encounter was the desire to listen. This is a beautiful journey, a beautiful beginning toward a more harmonious, more brotherly and sisterly way of living together.”
This was the fourth of a cycle of North-South synodal style encounters started under Pope Francis, and continued under Pope Leo. These encounters have built many bridges. It remains to be seen where this truly significant project goes from here.