“A new style of leadership is crucial” Sr. Nathalie Becquart at the UISG Plenary Assembly 2022
During the week of May 2nd, the Union of International Superior Generals (UISG) of women religious, celebrated the plenary Assembly 2022 with more than 500 participants, and had as a central theme “Embracing Vulnerability on the Synodal Journey”. The Assembly, which lasted 5 days and had very rich contributions and times for sharing, included an Audience with the Pope, and a presentation by Sr. Nathalie Becquart, xmcj, Undersecretary of the Secretary of the Synod of Bishops, and Fr. David McCallum SJ, Executive Director of the Discerning Leadership Program.
Sr. Becquart and Fr. McCallum addressed the topic: “The Synodal Journey – How Will It Change Religious Life? How Can Religious Life Contribute?”. Sr. Becquart said that a “synodal Church is is a listening church and a synodal church is a learning church, a church in which we are learning from one another”, and indicated that “another style of leadership is crucial” for the Church today. Fr. McCallum expressed his hope of the Church to learn “from the margins”, and shared personal experiences of dialogue and listening with Indigenous groups in the US. He also highlighted the importance of a personal conversation to “become servants” in these times of creating a Synodal process together, and in particular to men.
For a more extended information, you can consult the Article from the Global Sisters Report “Stay grounded in tradition while taking chances, biblical scholar tells UISG” by Chris Herlinger.
Fr. Giacomo Costa SJ did studies in philosophy and theology, and he also obtained a master's degree in Political and Moral Sociology at the EHESS in Paris.
He is the responsible for Formation at the Society of Jesus.
Prof. Rafael Luciani received his licentiate and doctorate in theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome and a degree in educational sciences with a philosophical orientation from the Universidad Católica "Andrés Bello" in Caracas (Venezuela). He also studied philosophy at the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome and did post-doctoral work at the Julius Maximilians Universität in Würzburg (Germany).
Nathalie Becquart serves as Undersecretary of the Secretariat of the Synod of the Bishops since March 2021.
Robert J. Bies (Ph.D., Stanford University) is Professor of Management and Founder of the Executive Master’s in Leadership Program at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. In addition, Dr. Bies is a co-author of the book, Getting Even: The Truth About Workplace Revenge—And How to Stop It.
Professor Bies’s current research focuses on leadership, the delivery of bad news, organizational justice, and revenge and forgiveness in the workplace.