University students brought their concern for migrants and the environment directly to Pope Francis during “Building Bridges: A Synodal Encounter” on Feb. 24, 2022, via a Zoom conversation. During the nearly two-hour synod, 12 students from across the Americas, including one Loyola Marymount University sophomore, presented issues, proposed solutions, and asked questions of the pontiff. The 12 were representing the working groups of 150 students from 38 countries in seven regions.
“Pope Francis’ commitment to justice resonates greatly with college and university students,” said Cecilia González-Andrieu, LMU professor of theological studies. “They are seeking to make their own positive impact on the world, and this event inspires us all to think of how best to build such a world.”
LMU sophomore theology and Spanish double-major Jesus “Paco” Estrada was in the first group of respondents. He told Pope Francis that his group emphasized “conducting research within their own university and surrounding communities to identify and listen to migrants’ stories, the causes of their ongoing marginalization, and their life-sustaining needs.” Highlighting “the challenges migrant communities face that create dehumanizing socio-economic conditions,” Estrada’s group proposed developing and/or multiplying partnerships between universities and the private sector to address identified social inequalities.
Other groups addressed issues of migrant acceptance and accommodation, income inequality, unemployment, poverty, violence, immigration, racism, and environmental contamination, among other social justice concerns.
Francis welcomed the interactions and questions, “with mind and heart and hands,” he said, explaining that his approach to issues is to think, to feel, and to do. He asked at the outset, “What is the role of university students and spirit to give us hope in addressing the problem of migrants?”
This historic encounter between the Pope and university students from North, Central, and South America was organized and hosted by the Institute of Pastoral Studies, Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, and Department of Theology at Loyola University Chicago. There are seven regional working groups of university and college students across the Americas: USA/Canada (3), Mexico (1), Caribbean/Central America (1), Brazil (1), and South America (1). Each group includes approximately 20 students from various universities and studying diverse fields across the humanities and sciences. These groups met in the weeks leading up to the Feb. 24 event. It is part of an ongoing initiative with hopes to convene another synod with Pope Francis or his successor.
The six LMU students participating in the local working group are: Estrada; Michael McCarthy, a junior; Leonardo Mendoza, a theology graduate student; Carolina Newton, a junior in business management; Leslie Sepulveda, a senior in psychology, minor in Spanish; and Shayne Yano, a theology graduate student.
Paco’s part of the conversation can be viewed below:
