Listening is urgent - Pope Francis, Pope Leo XIV

On the eve of the 59th World Communications Day, celebrated on June 1, Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV are remembered for their invitation to listen, which should be at the heart of communication, alluding to an inner availability, which was also emphasized during the times of St. Augustine and St. Francis of Assisi.

According to Vatican News, before Pope Francis passed on, a short video was put out, dedicated to the youth, appealing to them to listen especially to those least heard for reasons like distance, marginalization, and being uncomfortable.

“When someone speaks to you, wait until they finish to understand them well, and then, if you feel led, say something. But the important thing is to listen.”

Pope Francis modeled the urgency and priority of listening for effective communication, which applies to all forms of communication. First, listen, and then speak. The same with journalism work, where one needs to listen, see, and experience first, especially the many deep wounds, before communicating to the public.

Both Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV urge everyone to give time and space to one another, meeting in silence before engaging with the Word.

The Holy Father has been an advocate of “listening therapy” and “pastoral care of the ear.”

Francis of Assisi urged his friars to “incline the ear of the heart,” while eight centuries earlier, Bishop of Hippo, St. Augustine, said, “Do not let your heart be in your ears, but let your ears be in your heart.” 

Even before being elected Pope, the Augustinian Robert Francis Prevost, wherever he was assigned and in whatever role, would be described as “a man who listens.”

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle described Pope Leo XIV as “endowed with a capacity for deep and patient listening. Before making any decision, he devotes himself to careful study and reflection. He expresses his feelings and preferences without seeking to impose them.”

The urgency of the virtue and responsibility of listening comes in this age of digitalization and artificial intelligence. Pope Leo XIV’s charism of listening with attention to every person’s uniqueness is attributed to his younger years and formation from the Order of St. Augustine and his family home in Chicago.

The COVID-19 pandemic taught the world to return to the fundamentals of communication—a dialogue with oneself, one'sne's neighbors, and others when people want to be heartily heard.