By Filipe Domingues, Director of The Lay Centre
On May 12, I had the opportunity to attend the meeting of Pope Leo XIV with journalists and communicators in the Paul VI Hall at the Vatican. It was a brief but meaningful moment that allowed me to personally greet the new Pontiff, whom I had already met during his visit to The Lay Centre a year ago.
Although I am deeply immersed in my responsibilities at The Lay Centre, my background as a Vatican journalist and my training in communication and Catholic social teaching have kept me in constant dialogue with various media outlets, both in Brazil and internationally. During the conclave, I participated as a journalist and Vatican commentator, and entered the drawing to be seated in one of the front rows during the Pope’s first audience with communicators.
Luck was on my side, and I had the privilege of representing Portuguese-speaking journalists at this special event.
Pope Leo XIV was already familiar with The Lay Centre. He visited us on May 15, 2024, and accepted another invitation a few months later in November for a gathering with members of FADICA (Foundations and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities). On both occasions he presided over the Eucharist and, for this reason, we shared a few minutes together in the sacristy while preparing for Mass. After Mass, he would always stay and have a meal with the group. The fact that he had no rush to leave, being fully present to others, left a lasting impression on me.
So, as I approached to greet him on May 12, all of those shared moments came to mind. While shaking his hand—a firm handshake, by the way—I said, “Father, we met at The Lay Centre. I’m Filipe.” He looked at me and replied, “Yes, Filipe,” as if it were obvious he remembered me from those brief encounters. I told him he could count on The Lay Centre to support him in his mission, which he sincerely appreciated. It was just a few seconds, but full of humanity and that sense of closeness that so clearly defines the new Pope.
During the audience, his words rang out with strength and clarity. He spoke about the responsibility of communication today, especially in a world shaped by immediacy, polarization, and the rapid advancement of technologies such as artificial intelligence. I was deeply moved when he spoke about the need for a “disarmed and disarming” communication, one that allows us to share a different view of the world—one capable of fostering harmony, not more conflict. That, too, is the aspiration of The Lay Centre: to communicate with truth and service, not self-interest or manipulation.
He said something that touched me deeply and that, I believe, sums up the spirit of the encounter:
“Communication is not only the transmission of information, but it is also the creation of a culture of human and digital environments that become spaces for dialogue and discussion. In looking at how technology is developing, this mission becomes ever more necessary. I am thinking in particular of artificial intelligence, with its immense potential, which nevertheless requires responsibility and discernment in order to ensure that it can be used for the good of all, so that it can benefit all of humanity.”
He asked all of us communicators to “choose consciously and courageously the path of communication in favor of peace.”
In his message, I found three pillars that I believe will be central to this new stage of the Church: peace, dialogue with the world, and Catholic social teaching. These are also at the heart of The Lay Centre’s mission and continue to inspire my personal and professional journey.
I must admit, I had been praying for some time that someone capable, approachable, with a deep vision of the Church and a sensitivity to the world, might take up the mission of being Peter’s successor. When I heard his name announced from the loggia of St. Peter’s Basilica, I felt a deep sense of joy.
For some time now, I had seen in Cardinal Prevost the qualities needed in a Pope, and today I see that intuition confirmed. In many ways, Leo XIV embodies the values I believe in and the reasons I came to Rome: the dialogue between faith and society, the commitment to social justice, and a style of communication that builds bridges in today’s world.
Photo: Vatican Media, FADICA and Lay Centre Archive
