Sophia Magazine vol.7 / SUMMER 2018

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students’ questions, so the rave reviews were a result of each student with a question being given a message that made them really think. “Let’s Speak to Pope Francis” can also be viewed on YouTube, and I believe there has been some reac-tion even from those who were not at the event?Fr. De Luca: Even in my little village back in Argentina, ”Let’s Speak to Pope Francis” has been making waves. It has gone viral. This has been an amazing opportunity for So-phia University, and for the Japan Province of the Society of Jesus, too. Fr. Haidar: There were a lot of messages from those who could not attend the event proper as well, most of which were in praise of the Pope’s character, saying they felt hope now there was a leader like the Pope in the world today. Personally, the reason I planned this event was to let people know that there are different kinds of leaders in the world from those found in politics or business. In that respect, I think we have achieved a lot.Professor Sugimura: At Sophia, our educational philoso-phy is “Men and Women for Others, with Others,” and Pope Francis is the epitome of this. Not all leaders are strong-men. There is another style of leadership that is about “thinking together with others,” and this came across dur-ing this dialogue. Students asked questions about poverty, refugees, and the environment, for example. This is indicative of the very harsh times we live in, and I have a sense that such times demand the kind of leadership embodied by the Pope.Fr. De Luca: Pope Francis is a religious leader of the Roman Catholic Church, but there are enormous numbers of peo-ple who feel a connection with him who are not Catholic. This is a historic first. At a time when distrust of political leaders is at a high around the world, it seems that people need a leader like Pope Francis in non-religious areas too. Fr. Haidar: It may be that today’s world revolves around power and money. However, power and money do not hold the solutions to the world’s problems. Through this dialogue, the Pope demonstrated the possibility of “being a good person and a leader at the same time.” I would be happy if our students would take that lesson and use it in the future.Professor Sugimura: There are plenty of theories and studies about how to solve the world’s problems, but my feeling is that the Pope talked to us about the importance of ultimately thinking about our own lives, and how we can be better people every day. I think that is the true meaning of “faith.” Fr. De Luca: Faith is vital to human beings and is an impor-tant part of education. Christians, Buddhists, and Shinto followers all have faith, and if we all understand “prayer,” then we can all talk to each other on the same level. The role of mission schools like Sophia University is vital. Fr. Haidar: Religion teaches us to view the world with different values. Without religion, people live in a narrow world, circling around and around with the same values: fighting military force with military force and money with money. Religion is what spares us from this vicious circle. Today, there are probably a lot of people who believe the world is going to end if we continue as we have been, who feel they are living at the edge of the abyss. If the world is to turn in a better direction, that will show the power of religion. I believe that Pope Francis showed us that hope.Professor Sugimura: The “Let’s Speak to Pope Francis” idea germinated from the personal ties between Fr. Haidar and the Pope, and succeeded as a result of the ties among many different people. At Sophia University, more than ever, we are relying on the global network of Jesuit educational institutions to provide the best education. We have research exchanges for teaching staff and student exchanges, and we also have plans to offer collaborative international learning online with overseas universities. I hope that we can apply the success of “Let’s Speak to Pope Francis” to our educa-tion here at Sophia University. Over 700 people gathered for special event “Let’s Speak to Pope Francis,” held live via video link and broadcast simultaneously on YouTubeFull dialogue available on Sophia University official YouTube channel. (Available in Japanese and Spanish)Special Talk24