A Week Behind Closed Doors to Look More Clearly to the Future

Dicastery Superiors and Officials: Walking Together to Serve Better

It was a week dedicated to fraternity and sharing. From 23 to 30 April, the staff of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development (DPIHD) spent an ‘intensive week’ together within the walls of Palazzo San Calisto and beyond. It was an opportunity to meet, to take stock of their work, to share experiences, and to plan for the future, including with colleagues operating in distant countries: Hawaii, the Philippines, the USA, Argentina, Bolivia, Portugal, and Algeria.

The week began with a general assembly led by the Superiors of the Dicastery, recalling the progress made over the past year, including the challenges faced and the goals achieved. The Prefect, Cardinal Michael Czerny SJ, recalled that the Dicastery’s mission is “to assist the Holy Father and the Bishops in promoting integral human development”, emphasising that for the Church “integral human development is the full development of a person in all his or her dimensions”. In light of this, the work of the DSSUI aims to help remove obstacles to integral human development by working and hoping together with those whom the world has cast aside but whom God has chosen.

The days were marked by numerous meetings between the Sections of the Dicastery working in various fields: administration, secretariat, listening and dialogue, research and reflection, communication and feedback. Colleagues exchanged views, shared about the work carried out, and jointly assessed new operational strategies to make future work more efficient.

With this in mind, Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, Secretary of the DPIHD, introduced a new phase of a process launched in 2024 regarding an ‘internal communication’ project led by a consultant: a process designed to improve the modus operandi in the way information is shared because, as Sr. Smerilli put it, effective relationships are essential for carrying out daily tasks to the best of our ability. The officials expressed their own views with openness and professionalism, proposing possible solutions for more streamlined and comprehensive communication in the future.

Cardinal Fabio Baggio CS, Undersecretary, then led a session dedicated to another key process initiated by the Dicastery: establishing pathways for supporting local Churches that have yielded pastoral fruits. Concrete examples include a number of meetings with border Bishops organised by local groups in Canada and various parts of South America; with the assistance of the DPIHD, effective networks have been established capable of jointly addressing the challenges of the region.

There were also moments dedicated to reflection and prayer. As is the case throughout the year, a multilingual Mass was celebrated each morning. Of particular note was a visit to the Borgo Laudato Si’ for a brief spiritual retreat. The day at the Borgo began with an outdoor Eucharistic celebration in the Giardino della Madonnina, so named because of a white statue of the Virgin Mary located there. It was a picturesque venue with an artificial pond where Pope Leo XIV had celebrated the first Mass for the Care of Creation on 9 July 2025. Presiding over the Eucharist was His Excellency Monsignor Vittorio Viola, Secretary of the Dicastery for Divine Worship, who, in a Franciscan and poetic tone, helped all those present to savour the silence, the sounds of nature, and the beauty of Creation.

After a brief tour of the gardens, Cardinal Baggio explained the work that is underway with great enthusiasm at the Borgo: the circular greenhouse, the plantations, the farm, and upcoming projects, such as the spaces for formation and accommodations for guests. All in the name of renewable energy and eco-sustainability, caring for the environment and for one another. In the afternoon, a number of team-building activities were organised: opportunities to test oneself and to strengthen relationships and collaboration in a light-hearted and fun way.

Particularly moving was the morning dedicated to the figure of the Venerable Cardinal François-Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận, who had served as Prefect of the former Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace from 1998 to 2002. Văn Thuận’s life was marked by great trials endured in faith, spending thirteen years in a Vietnamese prison for the sole ‘crime’ of being a Christian. Văn Thuận endured this persecution through his faith in God and love for Mary. A documentary on the life of Văn Thuận was screened in the presence of the Postulator of the cause for canonisation, Dr. Waldery Hilgeman, Rev. Hubertus Blaumeiser, Consultant to the Cause, and Ms. Maria Sameiro Freitas, who met with some of the cardinal’s family members in Vietnam.

At the end, some colleagues who had had the privilege of working with Văn Thuận or making his acquaintance in the stairwell or in the corridors shared personal memories and previously untold stories: several people recalled how he had been a shepherd in times of particular suffering, as well as his humble demeanour and his generosity in personally preparing dinners for colleagues and seminarians. Everyone recalled his gentleness, kindness, and profound spirituality. It was a moving moment that filled the hearts of those present; amidst tears of emotion and fraternal embraces, the room emptied into a silence filled with gratitude.

Before bringing the week to a close, an hour was set aside to present awards to a number of colleagues who were nominated and voted as most deserving in the categories of: best ‘team player’, most convivial, best ‘problem solver’, most stylish and elegant, and best listener and most attentive to others. It was a time of laughter and applause that allowed us to bring a ‘hectic’ week to a joyful close.