Harvard Divinity School Leaders Reflect on Vatican Summit

“Help us to be wise in times when we don’t know. Let this be our prayer when we lose our way,” sang Andrea Bocelli and Jennifer Hudson to the thunderous applause and simultaneously solemn reflection of over 300,000 people packed into St. Peter’s Square for a magical night of music and reflection. The lyrics were emblematic of the moment—a time in our history when the world’s values seem upended.

This convening of some of the world’s greatest artists, leaders, and scholars over the weekend, by His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, served as a reminder for all of us to return to the values (with which we were raised) that have been our beacon: to care for immigrants, the poor, those suffering from the ravages of war, those on the underside of society—pursuing all of this alongside the ideals of freedom and justice. The evening capped a weekend of reflection, which started with Pope Leo’s Friday afternoon message to those gathered for the World Meeting on Human Fraternity. Surrounded by the gothic structure of the Vatican and the constant reminders of history, we were brought into a unique experience charged with meaning. His Holiness Pope Leo set the tone for the meeting in his opening remarks to the 300 or so gathered that Friday: 

“Brother, sister, where are you? Where are you in the business of wars that shatter the lives of young people forced to take up arms; target defenseless civilians, children, women and elderly people; devastate cities, the countryside, and entire ecosystems, leaving only rubble and pain in their wake. Brother, sister, where are you among the migrants who are despised, imprisoned, and rejected among those who seek salvation and hope but find only walls and indifference? Where are you brother and sister when the poor are blamed for their poverty, forgotten and discarded in a world that values profit more than people? Brother, sister, where are you in a hyperconnected life where loneliness corrodes social bonds and makes us strangers even to ourselves? The answer cannot be silence. You are the answer with your presence, your commitment and your courage. The answer is choosing a different direction of life, growth, and development.” 

The choir that Saturday night, a multiracial assemblage of voices, reflected the type of world we have come to celebrate. The artists headlining the show represented the U.S., Italy, Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, and Asia, and embodied multiculturalism in action. 

The evening was in some ways a declaration by Pope Leo about where the Vatican stands on the question of difference: It is to be celebrated; not repudiated. The beauty of the voices—those who sang solo, those who sang in chorus, and those who spoke to compel us to act—was a reminder of the truest good that can come from a constellation of diverse peoples. 

Amid the recital, those who spoke reminded us of our humanity and the call for justice. Graça Machel, former Minister for Education and Culture of Mozambique and widow of Nelson Mandela, reminded us that “justice must recognize, validate, and restore dignity. Only justice, rooted in empathy, fairness, and integrity can nurture healing and rebuild trust. I have witnessed the courage of people who refused to be imprisoned by history’s wounds and communities who have found the strength to forgive and rebuild.” To great applause, she recognized the suffering of people experiencing war in a number of countries. “Palestine, Sudan, Ukraine, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Mozambique, we must commit to bringing a just peace everywhere where violence has stripped us of our humanity," she said. “At this World Meeting on Human Fraternity, we affirm with one voice, justice must be the last badge of reconciliation, the architecture of peace and the promise of a future where all humanity can thrive.” Her words seemed a salve to those who gathered, a stark reminder that all of God’s creation should be allowed to thrive in a world torn asunder by war and political division. 

Later, a magnificent drone show appeared in the background as the choir sang, recreating at once images of Pope Francis as a memorial to the one who originally conceived of the event, as well as Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam and his Pietà among other elaborate pieces made of 5,000 drones. As Bocelli sang “Ave Maria” and the choir sang familiar hymns like “Amazing Grace,” the drone show then shifted images. The mix of contemporary artists like Pharrell and John Legend, alongside rap artists dressed in tuxedos no less, signaled the intentionality of inclusivity.

Enlivened by the sounds of a gospel chorus that ended the evening with a rendering of “This Joy that I Have” and “Yes Lord,” the themes of resilience and hope in the face of the long road ahead were amplified. It is likely no irony that the concert took place on the steps of St. Peter’s Basilica, a majestic and monumental edifice that took over 120 years to build, with architects, bricklayers, and artisans contributing in their time the pieces that would eventually finalize the edifice; many not living to see its completion. 

In similar fashion, we were reminded to build the world anew, one defined by freedom, justice, and provision where “all humanity can thrive.” In our lifetime, we may or may not see it fully materialized, but we must continue to make our contribution in our time toward this grand ideal. That seemed the call, the reminder, the theme of our gathering. 

Two weeks ago, I had the joy of attending the third World Meeting on Human Fraternity in Vatican City as part of a small HDS delegation. Brought together by Pope Leo XIV, scholars, filmmakers, clergy, businesspeople, and many more, gathered to think about better ways to build networks of global solidarity. The meeting also included a private audience with the pope, and visits to some of the most beautiful spaces and works of art on display at the Vatican. For a scholar of Catholicism, things could hardly get any better! 

We were able to see Michaelangelo’s Pietà in all its splendor, without the glass that often separates the public from this masterpiece. We dined in the Vatican Museum gardens after experiencing the breathtaking beauty of the Sistine Chapel. We were also able to attend the Grace for the World concert, which brought together figures like Andrea Bocelli, John Legend, Pharrell Williams, Jennifer Hudson, and Karol G, among others.

I was truly fascinated by the remarkable balance between a visit that had clear Catholic dimensions and a form of catholic (universal) appeal to our capacity for human solidarity. I am teaching a class this semester on the Second Vatican Council. Vatican II (1962-1965), as it is commonly known, was one of the most consequential meetings of bishops in Catholic history.

Key to the vision of Vatican II—as expressed by Pope John XXIII—was the desire to embrace the world “without fear,” to see not only problems but the “marvelous progress of the discoveries of human genius,” and to employ “the medicine of mercy rather than severity.” This new direction marked a decisive break with the kinds of concerns central to most prior church councils and it was in clear display during my visit to the Vatican.

Two quite different moments of this visit made this catholicity evident to me. The first was our papal audience. Pope Leo addressed us, of course, as the head of the Catholic Church. But he did so, as well, as the “first citizen of a global society,” to use an expression of sociologist José Casanova.

Reflecting on the story of Cain and Abel in the Book of Genesis, Pope Leo’s speech encouraged us to build human fraternity, to work to stop the destruction of war, all while confronting the audience with a haunting question: “Brother, sister, where are you? … Where are you among the migrants who are despised, imprisoned and rejected…when the poor are blamed for their poverty, forgotten and discarded…” Pope Leo concluded: “The answer cannot be silence.” 

The second moment was the Grace for the World concert. As in Pope Leo’s speech, the background of the concert was the tragedy of war, but the concert’s goal was to bring grace to the world through the power of music. The concert was spectacular both due to the location and the lineup.

But even more fascinating to me was the powerful balance achieved by the interpolation of brief speeches into the beauty of the music and the performances. In the speeches, Nobel laureates and other global leaders invited the audience, the world, truly, to the same search for fraternity and the end of war that Pope Leo defended the day before.

The message was clear and effective. The pope and this meeting mobilized the prominence of the papal office not, as in the past, to defend the prerogatives of the Catholic Church in exclusionary fashion. Rather, the prominence of the papacy became a way to bring attention to the atrocities of war, famine, and authoritarian rule, and to make us heed the cry of those who suffer the most. May the power of this meeting be a blessing and an invitation to build, as Pope Leo exhorted us, a “covenant of humanity.”

Banner: The sculpture Angels Unawares in St. Peter's Square. Photo courtesy of Raúl E. Zegarra.