Pope Francis with young boy at Catholic Charities Luncheon in Washington, DC, on September 24, 2015
Religious/Spiritual, Social Justice, Special Events

The Francis Factor at Ten Years

The Initiative’s inaugural Public Dialogue in 2013 was on “The Francis Factor,” examining how Pope Francis’ new leadership of the Catholic Church might shape our Church and nation. Now, a decade later, this landmark dialogue will focus on the mission, message, and impact of Pope Francis after 10 years and into the future. This Public Dialogue is part of the Initiative’s Tenth Anniversary Celebration and will be an occasion to welcome the leadership of Kim Daniels as director and recognize John Carr as he moves into a new role as founder. We hope you can join us in Dahlgren Chapel at Georgetown as we mark 10 years and look to the future of this vital effort. 

Georgetown President John J. DeGioia will open the evening with a brief conversation with Kim and John on the past and future work of the Initiative. We’ll then proceed to a conversation on “The Francis Factor at Ten Years” with four outstanding leaders:

  • Cardinal Wilton Gregory is the archbishop of Washington and the former president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). He is the former archbishop of Atlanta and the first African American U.S. cardinal. 
  • Sr. Norma Pimentel, M.J., is the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley and the leader of the Humanitarian Respite Center for families fleeing violence in Central America. Pope Francis has praised her for her work with refugees and immigrants to the United States.
  • E.J. Dionne is a columnist at the Washington Post where he has written on Pope Francis and how he affects U.S. public life. He is also a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and a professor in Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.
  • Helen Alvaré is a professor at George Mason University’s Scalia Law School, a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Laity, Family, and Life, and an advisor to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on pro-life and other matters. 

Kim Daniels, director of the Initiative, and John Carr, founder of the Initiative, will moderate the dialogue.

The participants in this gathering will explore these and other questions:

  • How has Pope Francis’ leadership challenged and changed the Church, the world, and each of us? 
  • What have been Pope Francis’ successes and shortcomings? 
  • What has been the response of different groups, especially in the United States, to Francis’ papacy? 
  • What are Pope Francis’ current priorities and future challenges? 
  • How has Pope Francis’ mission and message shaped the work of the Initiative over its first decade? 

We hope you can join us in Dahlgren Chapel at Georgetown University. If you cannot be with us in person, you can watch the gathering online to mark this special moment in the life of the Initiative and this milestone in the leadership of Pope Francis. 

Public Health Measures

This gathering will comply with Georgetown’s COVID-19 protection measures, including all those who attend must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, or attest to having a medical or religious exemption from being vaccinated.

Recording and Accessibility​

For those who cannot join us in person, the gathering will be livestreamed and posted online for later viewing.

All in-person accommodation requests should be sent to cathsocialthought@georgetown.edu by February 24. A good-faith effort will be made to fulfill requests.