The Francis Method for a Changemaking Dialogue

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On 13th of September 2024, Pope Francis met with 600 interreligious youth at Catholic Junior College in Singapore, the last stop of his apostolic visit to the Asia pacific. Elected as a Pope on a reform agenda, Pope Francis has certainly been a changemaker within and outside the Catholic Church. Unlike previous Popes, he has adopted a particular way of dialogue to provoke people into action. Here are three ways, Pope Francis conducts his dialogue for change.

1. Enter through the other person's view

2. Provocative visual memory to see any issue anew

3. Invite for common action and keep a spiritual bond

One more thing.. reflecting on what he said to me

As changemakers, we are constantly trying to persuade action to bring about change every day. You can do so by logic and hope to achieve good outcomes. Climate change is one example; the science is certainly undeniable, but mobilizing for action is still hard.

Here is why learning from Pope Francis can be helpful. As a Pope elected to bring about change to meet the crisis within the Catholic Church and a leader eager to inspire change in the vision of the Beatitudes of the Gospel, he has been a tireless advocator for change-making.

In his quest to ignite change, Pope Francis has boldly departed from the traditional communication style of a Pope. He employs personal gestures and powerful visual language, provokes and argues. His approach may leave you stirred or even repulsed, but it undeniably stirs action.

Having observed Pope Francis over the past decade, I've distilled three key ways in which he communicates with people. My hope is that these insights will help you as you persuade others to act for the cause you believe in.

1. Enter through the other person's view

Pope Francis in dialogue with others pays a lot of attention to what the other person will say or the person’s cultural context. In this case, he began with acknowledging the keywords that three youth leaders shared.

Then he used one of the keywords used by the earlier speaker to enter into the conversation and introduce his point. See what he says here :

"Thank you very much for your words!

Three things that you said struck me: “armchair critics,” “comfort zone,” and “technology” – the duty to use it but also the risks involved. This is the speech that I had prepared, but now I will speak [spontaneously]!

Young people are courageous and like to seek the truth but they have to be careful not to become what you referred to as “armchair critics” with endless words. A young person must be a critical thinker, and it is not good never to be critical. But you must be constructive in criticism, because there is a destructive criticism, which only makes a lot of complaints but does not offer a new way forward. I ask all young people, each of you: are you critical thinkers? Do you have the courage to criticize but also the courage to let others criticize you? Because, if you criticize, then someone else will criticize you. This is sincere dialogue between young people."

This approach is very useful because you will hang onto every word to see how the person builds on what you said. It is like playing a game of tennis: Your eye will stay on the ball. So, in this case, your ear will remain on the keyword that is used. This ensures attention span and internalization. The key is to internalize to deepen realization.

2. Provocative visual memory to see an issue anew

Then when Pope Francis has gotten your attention, he will seek to change your view so that you will be provoked to see things anew and remember the key points of argument. A provocative visual memory in terms of a physical gesture and a relatable visual helps to further internalise hopes and actions.

Here is what he said in this next part of his engagement:

“One thing that helps a lot with dialogue is respect. I will tell you one thing. I don’t know if it happens here, in this city, but in other cities it happens that among young people something bad occurs: bullying. I ask you: who is the bravest to tell me what they think about bullying? [Some young people respond] Thank you! Everyone has provided a definition of bullying but with a different aspect. Whether it is verbal or physical bullying, it is always an aggression. Always. Just think about what happens in schools or children’s groups: bullying targets those who are weaker. For example, a disabled boy or girl. Instead, we saw here this beautiful dance with disabled children! Each one of us has our own abilities and limitations. Do we all have abilities? [Answer: “Yes!”] Do we all have some limitations? [Answer: “Yes!”] Even the Pope? Yes, all, all! As we have our limitations, we must respect the disabilities of others. Do you agree? This is important. Why do I say this? Because overcoming these things helps in your interfaith dialogue since it is built upon respect for others. This is very important.”

The visual of everyone having some form of disability is easy to remember and helps to turn interreligious dialogue from an abstract form to a more tangible form. Again, it is something that you can recall in your head as you continue on your way.

3. Invite for common action and keep a spiritual bond

Once Pope Francis has gotten you to see his point of view, he invites you to commit to a common action; more than that, he also seeks to keep a spiritual bond with you. This is a unique way; he does not simply connect with the mind but aims to appeal to your deepest humanity to inspire action. Here is how he puts it:

“I thank you for these questions, and I am glad to meet you young people, to meet these brave, almost “shameless ones,” you are good! My wish is that all of you young people will go forward with hope, and not go backwards! Take risks! Otherwise, you will grow “fatter”! God bless you and pray for me, I do for you.

And now, in silence, let us pray for each other. In silence.

May God bless all of us. In the future, when you are no longer young, but you are elderly and grandparents, teach all these things to your children. God bless you and pray for me, don’t forget! But pray for, not against!”

In his approach, Pope Francis has harnessed the power of shared reflection and common prayer. These elements not only create a common human experience but also strengthen our bonds with one another, paving the way for meaningful change.

Pope Francis's way is truly unique to open minds, retain memory, and inspire common action.

So, as a summary, reflect on the way you speak or dialogue for changemaking:

1. Do you pay sufficient attention to what the other is saying so as to enter through the other person's view?

2. What provocative visual memory can you use to help your audience see an issue anew

3. Do you have any way to immediately invite someone in a creative or spiritual manner for common action?

See what the youth had to say after meeting him:

One more thing.. reflecting on what he said to me

As I was the organiser for this event, I was part of the welcome party. I have met Pope Francis a few times but something extraordinary happened this time:

My Italian is not good so I had rehearsed the following as I usually do when I meet him:

Benvenuto papà Francesco, io sono Lawrence, tanti saluti dai focolarini!!

(Welcome Pope Francis, my name is Lawrence and many greetings from the Focolarini - the international Catholic movement for dialogue and unity that I belong to and the Pope knows very well. )

He stopped me, held my hands and in Italian he said the following and I am writing what I understood.

Pope Francis: Do you understand Italian?

Me:? only a little

Pope Francis speaking slowly for me:? ok listen very carefully.

Everything, everything is possible only with God

Do you understand?

Me:? Yes

Pope: This is very important, everything even great things is only possible with God.

Ok?

Me: Yes

Pope: Tell the Focolarini, I am with them!

Me:? Thank you Papa. I will.

See, all the youth are very happy to see you!

This entire exchange was captured on the live stream, and after this, friends were texting me furiously to ask what the Pope said.

I have been pondering deeply about what he meant. For sure, because he knew my movement, the Focolare, he wanted to encourage us. He knows our impossible dream is to bring about a united world.

The other reason is probably because this is his last engagement. Since I spoke Italian, he wanted to express his heart. Singapore has largely surprised him. How did Singapore achieve such a high level of harmony?

And this thought of mine was confirmed when, later in the press conference on the flight home, when asked about Singapore, he said this:

“Thank you. First of all, I didn’t expect to find Singapore as it is. They call it the “New York of the East,” a developed, clean country with polite people, tall skyscrapers, and a great religious culture. The interreligious meeting I had was a model of fraternity.”

So I felt that when he said to me, "Even with great things, only with God all is possible," he wanted to remind us through me that there is always a higher value that we cannot simply measure, and that is love for others, our humanity. This all comes as a consequence of pursuing higher ideals found in religion, the belief that a greater being calls us to be self-giving instead of self-serving.

Pope Francis dialogue with me certainly got me thinking and moving, I hope it has done the same for you too.

See the live stream of the event here: