Listening For Peace: Loyola Hosts International ‘Building Bridges’ Gathering

Church leaders, scholars and students from across disciplines gathered Mar. 7 for an international dialogue on peace and reconciliation through the event “Building Bridges Initiative: International Encounter for Peace and Reconciliation.” They examined how peace can be pursued in a world shaped by war, migration crisis and rapid technological advancement, including AI. 

The gathering, which brought participants from North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia to the Sister Jean Multipurpose Room, represented the next stage of Loyola’s Building Bridges Initiative, a university-led program inspired by Pope Francis’ call for the Catholic Church to engage in a worldwide process of listening and discernment known as the Synod on Synodality. 

Through the initiative, Loyola organizes structured dialogues among students and scholars across regions and universities using the insights to improve their schools. Additionally, Loyola uses the dialogues as feedback to share with church leaders and global partners.

Cardinal Blase J. Cupich, archbishop of Chicago, opened the gathering with prayer and remarks welcoming participants to Loyola and emphasizing the role dialogue plays in responding to global conflict and division. During his remarks, Cupich also addressed the United States’ response to the ongoing war in Iran, raising concerns about how violence is portrayed and consumed in public discourse. 

The Cardinal read from a statement he issued which was published on the website of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago. In the statement, Cupich warned about the framing of war through digital media and spectacle risks distancing audiences from the human consequences of violence.

The gathering reflected Loyola’s broader engagement with Catholic intellectual life and its longstanding connections to the Vatican and international church institutions. 

The Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage, which explores the role of Catholic studies in public discourse, and the Institute for Pastoral Studies, a graduate program centered on theology and ministry, regularly host conversations bringing Vatican officials, theologians and scholars into dialogue with academic communities, according to Michael Murphy, Ph.D, the director of the Hank Center for the Catholic Intellectual Heritage. 

For Murphy, the event represented the deeper commitment of Jesuit education and Catholic social teaching.

“We believe there’s a spirit of peace,” Murphy said. “We are a Jesuit Catholic university, and we have a certain kind of orientation to life believing God makes us all to be part of one human family.” 

Murphy said peace belief shapes how Catholic institutions approach questions of conflict, diplomacy and justice. Rather than viewing peace solely as a political goal, Catholic intellectual traditions often frame it as a moral and spiritual responsibility grounded in human dignity and shared belonging, according to Murphy.

Bishop Oscar Cantú of the Diocese of San José introduced the major themes guiding the discussion, framing the gathering as an opportunity to build relationships across disciplines and cultures in pursuit of peace.

Participants then moved into breakout discussion groups structured around intentional listening — a format meant to mirror the synodal process encouraged by Pope Francis, according to Peter Jones, interim dean at the Institute of Pastoral Studies.

The discussions were organized around five themes addressing contemporary challenges to peace — truth and justice in an AI era, the Church, law and migration, the economy and culture and art inspiring peace.

Rather than the traditional academic panel format, the discussions were designed to encourage reflection and shared experience. 

Each conversation followed a deliberate rhythm as one participant shared reflections for three minutes, followed by 15 seconds of silence before another participant responded. The pause created space for reflection before broader conversation unfolded, encouraging participants to build on one another’s experiences rather than debate them.

Murphy said Loyola’s identity as a global Jesuit institution made it a natural host for conversations that bring together diverse perspectives and lived experiences.

“Loyola is unique in that we have a multicultural setting, and it’s a perfect place to foster, discuss what humans share together,” Murphy said. “And that is a thirst for peace.”

Speakers represented a range of academic and professional backgrounds. Among them was University Chair in Public Service and former U.S. ambassador to the Holy See Miguel Díaz, Ph.D., immigration law scholar Anita Marie Maddali and community organizer Vicente Del Real. 

Emilce Cuda, Ph.D, secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America and one of the leading Vatican voices engaged in the initiative, told the audience she thinks international collaboration can support reconciliation and justice.

Cuda’s role highlights the initiative’s direct connection to the Vatican. As secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, she works at the intersection of Catholic social teaching, global politics and church leadership, helping facilitate partnerships between universities and the Holy See.

Murphy said Loyola’s continued collaboration with Vatican offices reflects a longstanding relationship between the university and global Catholic institutions. For him, those partnerships position universities like Loyola to contribute to global conversations about peace, diplomacy and justice in ways that extend beyond the campus.

The Vatican’s engagement with the Loyola gathering was highlighted by a message sent by Pope Leo XIV, addressed directly to participants of the event, according to the Vatican News.

In his message to participants, Pope Leo emphasized lasting peace requires cooperation beyond national and religious boundaries.

“If we wish to promote concord on a global level, it is necessary to seek the engagement and commitment of the international community for the sake of the common good, which transcends borders, faith traditions and cultures,” Pope Leo wrote in a letter to Loyola University Chicago. “It likewise requires systematic interdisciplinary collaboration, bringing together institutions, organizations, scientists and leaders in various fields to achieve this end. Your efforts at this meeting are a concrete example of how this is possible, and, I hope, will bear great fruit.”

Murphy said events like the Building Bridges dialogue are also intended to encourage students to see peacebuilding as a shared responsibility rather than the work of diplomats or political leaders alone. As the Director of the Hank Center, Murphy said he sees Jesuit education often challenges students to move beyond passive observation and actively engage with the social and moral challenges of their time.

“You got to put your body out there and be not afraid,” Murphy said. “No person can do everything, but everybody can do something. And it is the Loyola way to stand and deliver, to stand and be counted, stand together.”

Editor’s Note: A previous version of this article identified the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Conscience. The article was updated March 11, 2026 to reflect the correct title, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Chicago.