A Catholic writers’ community in Yogyakarta has launched a new initiative to reflect on Church leadership and spirituality through a one-day writing workshop centered on the themes of Pope Francis and Pope Leo XIV.
Organized by the Deo Gratias Catholic Writers’ Community (KPKDG), the event, held under the theme “Drawing Strength, Sharing Support”, brought together 29 participants from various backgrounds—including teachers, artists, students, and writers—for a day of reflection and collaborative writing.
Initiated by Adrian Diarto, the workshop marked the beginning of a book project that aims to explore the contemporary direction of the Catholic Church through a lay perspective.
It also served as a platform to honor the legacy of Pope Francis while expressing support for the leadership of Pope Leo XIV.
Father T. Krispurwana Cahyadi, a Jesuit theologian from the Girisonta Ignatian Spirituality Centre, served as the main speaker.
Drawing on Catholic social teaching and pastoral praxis, he discussed the theological and spiritual approaches of both popes.
Krispurwana described Pope Francis as embodying a “military-style” of leadership—“decisive and willing to act alone.”
In contrast, he noted that Pope Leo XIV, a member of the Order of Saint Augustine, reflects a more collaborative style: “Jesuits are used to deciding alone; Augustinians decide together. This difference shapes how they lead,” he explained.
Despite these contrasts, Krispurwana emphasized the shared roots of both leaders, highlighting how their missionary experiences among the poor—Francis in Argentina and Leo XIV in Peru—have deeply influenced their approach to Church leadership.
“Their theology is not dogmatic but rooted in real human experiences,” he said.
He also drew attention to their spiritual inspirations, noting that Pope Francis draws from the legacy of St. Francis of Assisi, who embodied a spirituality of love and suffering, while Pope Leo XIV finds theological grounding in the writings of St. Augustine, with love at the center of his thought.
“Leo XIV brings a joyful face to the Church in knowing Christ,” Krispurwana said, describing the pope’s strong aesthetic sense. He added that Leo XIV is expected to continue the Church’s outward mission, particularly in the pursuit of global peace, in line with Augustinian ideals of fraternity.
Participants also engaged in group discussions and a Q&A session, tackling pressing topics such as the role of women in the Church, ecological concerns, the preferential option for the poor, and the evolving challenges of evangelization in a digital world.
Insights and writings produced during the workshop will be compiled into a book, which will serve as KPKDG’s collective contribution to the life of the universal Church.
With what organizers called a “spirit of prophetic and reflective literacy,” the event affirmed the active role of Catholic lay writers in Indonesia, who “are not passive observers of Church renewal—they are active storytellers, bearing witness with faith, hope, and love.”
