People gathered in Vatican City Wednesday, listening closely as Pope Francis expressed his determination for restructure and unity within the Catholic Church.
The Vatican gathering, or Synod, is the first event in a process that will span over two years. It opened with a focus on tackling prevalent issues like acknowledging women’s contributions to the church and welcoming LGBTQ+ and divorced members. Pope Francis opened the meeting by stressing the importance that “everyone, everyone, everyone,” or “tutti, tutti, tutti,” is welcome.
USC Caruso Catholic Center President, Jamie Cappetta, said he hopes that the result of an important meeting that started Wednesday in Vatican City will inspire the community to be “loving and listening and open to other viewpoints than our own.”
Religious students and South Los Angeles community members alike agree, citing a new, reformed future in religion.
“This conversation is amazing because it needs to be had, [and] it should have been out a long time ago,” said senior and biomedical engineering major Hayes Waycaster, who grew up Roman Catholic in Mississippi. “It’s not going to fix any of the religious trauma that they have already caused…[or] any of the religious turmoil that surrounds women’s rights and gay rights around the world…but I think that it’s a very necessary conversation to be had.”
Cappetta said he believes young adults are not fully active or aware of what’s happening within the Catholic Church.
“For…Gen Z’s, I think it’s lower on the radar,” Cappetta said. “USC students in general won’t be that engaged with what’s going on at the Vatican.”
Still, the conversations happening in the Vatican city might inspire some small changes within the community, Cappetta said.
“[If] these two different kinds of opinions about church teachings were to come together and listen, actually listen to one another, and reflect and pray and have opportunities for respectful disagreement back and forth,” Cappetta said, “that could potentially be an opportunity for outsiders to be like, at least the church is willing to engage in dialogue and not always point the finger.”
The Synod has drawn criticism from certain chief officials of the Catholic church and conservatives alike. Pope Francis has been criticized since the Synod’s announcement, and some students find the discussion of LGBTQIA+, women and divorced members in Catholicism forced.
Sophomore Gracie Garrett, who grew up Catholic, is critical of the Church’s statements: “I do feel like it kind of seems artificial, considering they’re only doing it now probably because of social, civil pressures,” Garrett said. “It seems like they’re trying to stay with the times.”
With the Church moving slowly, as Cappetta said, these conversations could bring hope to women and other members being highlighted in this meeting. Opportunities for women to be deacons — church officers who are not priests but would help with the shortage of priests as they could step in — would give women the recognition for the roles that they have already been fulfilling.
“The Holy Spirit only works through honest dialogue as opposed to attacks,” Cappetta said. “So I feel like if our USC community here can try to do what the Synod is doing on a global level, then that’s a success.”