Pope Francis, the first Jesuit Pope, has made it a tradition to meet with Jesuits during his Apostolic Journeys. These private, informal gatherings reflect his deep connection to his Jesuit roots and emphasise his pastoral vision for the Church as the successor of Saint Peter. In these encounters, the Pope not only encourages the Jesuits but also reinforces their mission within the Church.

A key feature of these meetings is the candid dialogue Pope Francis fosters during question-and-answer sessions. He attentively listens to the experiences shared by Jesuits and integrates their insights into his broader reflections on the Church’s role in the world. In general, the content of these discussions is usually made public through the Jesuit journal La Civiltà Cattolica, which publishes summaries or transcripts.

Father Antonio Spadaro, SJ, has compiled 18 of these conversations in his book titled Sii tenero, sii coraggioso (translated as “Be Tender, Be Courageous”). The book draws its title from Pope Francis’s words to Jesuits in the Democratic Republic of Congo in February 2022, where he urged them to commit wholeheartedly to their mission with both compassion and courage.

Father Spadaro, the Undersecretary of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Culture and Education, was for many years the editor of La Civiltà Cattolica. Having accompanied the Pope on numerous Apostolic Journeys, he has been a direct witness to these intimate and inspiring encounters between the Pope and Jesuits around the world.

Published by the Libreria Editrice Vaticana (LEV) and the Garzanti, the book offers a rich tapestry of spiritual insights and pastoral reflections. The collected conversations also serve as a resource for the Society of Jesus, indicating issues close to the heart of the Holy Father to guide the work of Jesuits.

At the presentation of the book in the Aula of the General Curia in Rome on 2 October, Fr Spadaro explained that the task of recording the Pope’s conversations with Jesuits started inadvertently. He was just finishing a live broadcast for the RAI (Radiotelevisione Italiana) during the Pope’s Apostolic Visit to South Korea in 2014 when he was invited by Alberto Gasbarri, the then organizer of Papal trips, to Sogang University where the Pope was meeting with Jesuits. From then on, with the permission of the Pope, he has taken up the job of recording and transcribing these encounters.

Cardinal Jean-Claude Hollerich, SJ, Archbishop of Luxembourg and Relator-general at the ongoing Synod also spoke at the book presentation. He observed that “Sii tenero, sii coraggioso” is an invitation to us to travel with Pope Francis: a journey that takes us to many countries in almost all the continents of the world. Reflecting on the interactions collected in the book, he said that the Pope answers the “personal” questions of the Jesuits which are related to how they are to concretely carry out their mission in the local context. He notes that the Pope’s responses are never universal nor absolute, but always open the door to dialogue, personal responsibility, and discernment in view of the mission. The Cardinal further underlined that the central themes of the Pope’s responses – caring for the poor, mercy, discernment, among others – are also themes that the Holy Father wishes for a synodal Church.

Monica Maggioni, an Editorial Director at RAI and one of the speakers at the book presentation, describes feeling a sense of “privilege” as she read the book, to hear the Pope speaking in a language of his own – different from what we hear in speeches. In these interactions with Jesuits, she notes that his choice of words shows that he is always seeking contact and seeks to share with those he is talking with.

Fr Spadaro considers the Pope’s meetings with Jesuits to be some sort of new literary genre of “public words spoken in private” – conversations held in private but with a public impact – as they also offer a peek into the “backstage” of Pope Francis’ pontificate. For him, these interactions offer the Pope the opportunity to speak in a language familiar to Jesuits in particular, but also in a way that is clear, comprehensible, and credible.