Sister Pearl Ceasar and interfaith delegation meet with Pope Francis at the Vatican

An interfaith delegation of 20 leaders and organizers, including COPS/Metro leaders Rose Garcia of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church; Sister Pearl Ceasar, CDP; Lead Organizer Josephine Lopez Paul; and Elizabeth Valdez, ACDP; met with Pope Francis at the Vatican to share their broad-based organizing work.

The Holy Father sat with them in his residence, for a true dialogue, a 90-minute conversation in Spanish with lots of back and forth engagement.  The encounter was filled with many graced moments about both the joys and the struggles of their work, and the work of the Church, past, present, and to come.

The group was struck by how carefully Pope Francis listened, asked questions, and engaged with lots of humor. Early on, he reflected, “Usaron mucho las palabras ‘ver’ y ‘escuchar,’… Me impresiona que ninguno de ustedes es parte de alguna teoría.  Ninguno dice ‘leí un libro y me interesó eso.’” (You constantly use the words “to see” and “to listen.. I am impressed that none of you start with any theory. No one says ‘I read a book and that interested me.’)  “El peligro es intelectualizar el problema” (The danger is when you intellectualize a problem.)

Pope Francis stressed the importance of being with people and paying attention to their reality, emphasizing Amor Concreto, love concretely in action. He expressed his appreciation for the delegations focus on action, rather than complaining about what is not being done.

For Pope Francis, “el verdadero poder es el servicio,” (“true power is service”).  Recounting the Good Samaritan, he clearly stated that the Gospel cannot be understood without acting with those who are suffering.  He recognized the leaders, organizations, and the powerful work that is happening every day at the margins. He referred to their work as “Good News for the United States.”

To conclude, the Pope thanked the group for visiting and said that although he had never known of these initiatives before, he was glad that he knew of them now, and he welcomed further conversation around their continued work. Sr. Pearl and the other delegates are humbled to represent the many decades of work from those who preceded them, and are encouraged in the continuation of their work into the future.

As Pope Francis said goodbye to the delegates individually, Sr. Pearl was sure to tell him that the Sisters of Divine Providence love him, support him, and pray for him daily.

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