Leadership Roundtable

Anna Rowlands: Pope Leo’s ‘Magnifica humanitas’ will have enduring impact - Vatican News As Pope Leo XIV’s encyclical 'Magnifica humanitas' is unveiled, Professor Anna Rowlands, theologian at Durham University, tells Vatican News that such ...

Next week, Pope Leo XIV releases his first encyclical on AI and human dignity at a moment when AI is reshaping nearly every aspect of how we live and work.

In a new piece first published on the Fordham Institute's blog Flypaper, our managing partner Kathleen Porter-Magee explores what that looks like in practice—drawing on a distinction between AI literacy and AI proficiency to make the case for a more deliberate approach to AI in schools.

Read more: https://bit.ly/49hMQrP

Catholic leaders: this moment deserves your attention.

A parish in New York City is seeing packed Sunday Masses, fueled in part by a viral young adult meetup called “Pizza to Pews.” It’s gaining national attention. But this isn’t primarily a story about influencers getting likes and follows. It’s a flag for a leadership gap many of us experience.

In many parishes, the core ingredients young adults are searching for—community, belonging, meaningful engagement—already exist. The challenge is that too few people know about them.

At the same time, multiple data sources are pointing in the same direction: Gen Z is showing renewed interest in faith. But research is clear—faith alone isn’t what drives human flourishing. It’s faith lived in community.

That’s the opportunity in front of us. If we want to meet this moment, we need to think beyond creating programs and focus on ensuring people can actually find and enter them. Because if it isn’t visible, it isn’t reachable. Read more: https://bit.ly/4d9yZF2

Our May First Fridays Newsletter is out! 📬 This month's topics include keeping Catholics engaged, insights from the synod reports, news from the National Eucharistic Congress, and the latest from Leadership Roundtable's work in the field.

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