In May 2022, Peter Jones and a group of Loyola University Chicago educators traveled to Rome for an hour private meeting with Pope Francis. Credit: Vatican Media via Peter Jones
As the white smoke cleared on May 8 and Cardinal Robert Prevost, the first American pope, was presented to the world, no one was more astonished and pleased than Evanston resident and Loyola University theologian Peter Jones.
“He was on my list,” said Jones, “but I gave it a 1% chance. I just didn’t think anybody from the United States would win. I’m surprised that I’m so surprised. I just dismissed it too early, but I’m absolutely delighted.”
The election of the Chicago-born cardinal, he suggests, is an especially proud moment for our country during a time of political divisiveness.
“While he was not elected for this purpose, this is a counterpoint,” Jones said. “Now the world is going to see two sides to the United States. You have this orange authoritarian and you have another American offering a completely different way to be a human being.”
Jennifer and Peter Jones with Snoopy in their Evanston backyard. Credit: Peter Jones
A professor and interim dean at Loyola University’s Institute of Pastoral Studies, Jones collaborated with Pope Francis many times as the pontiff sought to elevate lay voices in the church, a mission that came to define his papacy. Jones said he believes Leo, whom he has also met, is likely to continue on the path established by his predecessor and welcome input from many sources beyond church leaders.
Amid the displays of pomp and ancient pageantry during Pope Leo’s first public address, his call for a “synodal church” may not have been a standout moment for many, but for Jones and other Catholic scholars, the message came through loud and clear. Under Francis, he explained, synodality had come to represent an open collaborative system in which all voices are heard.
Synods are periodic meetings held to discuss and advise on key issues facing the church. Traditionally these sessions were open only to bishops and religious dignitaries, but in 2021 Francis invited lay people including women to participate as voting members in the summits for the first time, a radical departure from recent norms.
“When Leo was announced as pope in that very first speech he gives, he mentions synodality. He is 100% going to keep doing it, which means we’re going to keep doing our work,” Jones said.
In 2021 the Loyola professor, along with three faculty colleagues, launched the Building Bridges Initiative, a project that brought together students from 50 universities in 23 countries across Central, South and North America to share their experiences and perspectives on social issues, especially those related to migration.
“We wanted to elevate the voices of young people and to do that in a broad way,” Jones said.
Before meeting with Pope Francis, Peter Jones had a moment to admire the ancient decor of the Apostolic Palace, where the former pope took official meetings. Credit: Peter JonesPope Francis was so impressed with the project that in February 2022 he joined the students for a livestream Zoom discussion. In May, he invited Jones and his faculty collaborators to the Vatican for a one-hour private meeting which the teacher described as “transformative.”
With Francis’ support and continued participation, Jones’ team organized three more papal encounters for students in Africa, South Asia, and the Asia Pacific region over the next three years.
When then Cardinal Robert Prevost, visited Chicago last August, he too elected to meet with Jones and the team behind the Building Bridges Initiative. The group assembled in Wheaton at the Ivy Restaurant, fittingly if coincidentally, a converted chapel.
“He asked us all about ourselves and the project,” Jones said. “He was very patient. He listens first and talks later.” Prevost agreed that evening to meet again with the educators at a future date.
Peter Jones (far left) and his colleagues had dinner with then Cardinal Prevost (second from right) last August. Credit: Peter Jones
After the death of Pope Francis, the group sent the cardinal an email with their condolences, and he responded within the hour, again referencing a future meeting. One of Jones’ colleagues sent a light-hearted followup: “We’re really excited to meet with you when you come back, but if you do not emerge from the conclave as a cardinal, then we’ll request an audience at your place.” Jones said Prevost could not respond because the conclave was already underway.
The educator is optimistic that the new pope will participate in Building Bridges as Francis did. “He’s committed to the synod, and he’s a social justice guy,” Jones said. “He’s a man after my own heart.”
Cardinal Prevost’s selection of the name Leo is widely considered to be a tribute to Pope Leo XIII, a 19th-century pontiff who championed for workers’ rights and the protection of human dignity. Whether or not the modern Leo will continue to push the church forward on matters of social justice remains to be seen, but Jones is hopeful.
“People want to talk about if he’s going to be a progressive pope or a conservative pope. Those categories of our political discourse don’t cleanly apply to any pope,” said Jones. “Before everything else, he’s a pastor. He’s a person that wants to listen to people. He wants to lead not with doctrinal tests, but with mercy and compassion.”
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