Cardinal Ouellet presents International Symposium on Vocations and Charisms

By Deborah Castellano Lubov

Cardinal Marc Ouellet presented the upcoming International Symposium “Vocations and Charisms: The Theology of God’s Gifts for a Synodal and Missionary Church,” which will take place from April 15–17, 2027, in the Vatican’s New Synod Hall, during a press conference Thursday at the headquarters of the Dicastery for Communication.

The presentation, moderated by Editorial Director Andrea Tornielli, offered an overview of the symposium’s program, which is being organized under the sponsorship of the Centre for Research and Anthropology of Vocations (CRAV).

The CRAV is a research center founded in 2020 by Cardinal Ouellet to study and promote vocations in society, recognizing the equal dignity of marriage, the priesthood, and consecrated life.

History of the Symposium

The upcoming symposium follows two previous gatherings: the first, held in 2022, focused on the fundamental theology of the priesthood, while the second, in 2024, explored the anthropology of vocations. Both were attended by the late Pope Francis.

The third symposium builds upon the ecclesiological and anthropological reflection developed during those gatherings, laying the foundation for a theology of vocations and charisms at the service of the missionary and synodal conversion of the Church.

Cardinal Ouellet, Prefect Emeritus of the Dicastery for Bishops, explained that the third symposium will build on the themes explored during the two previous gatherings.

The 2024 symposium examined Christian anthropology in relation to new currents in contemporary culture, reaffirming, he said, that Catholic anthropology offers “good news” about the human person, particularly in light of the challenges facing society today.

The current symposium will move from this broader understanding of vocation to a more detailed exploration of the different forms that vocation takes through God’s gifts.

“We are related to God through these gifts,” he said, explaining that the third symposium will examine more closely the diversity and specificity of vocations, including monastic life, consecrated life, marriage, and those who remain celibate without entering consecrated life.

Cardinal Ouellet stressed that these different vocations should not be understood in terms of “a rivalry” between priests, deacons, religious, and laypeople. Rather, they belong within “an ecclesiology of communion,” in which the diversity of vocations serves a common witness to the Trinity.

Program

The first day will focus on “Biblical, Anthropological, and Historical Foundations.” The program will explore “charisms in the New Testament,” “the multidisciplinary concept of charism,” “monastic life as a charism within the Church,” “gifts and charisms in St. Thomas Aquinas,” and “the role of the Spirit in renewing the Church through mission.”

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The second day will address “The Theology of God’s Gifts since Vatican II” and will feature contributions from Cardinal Ouellet, Cardinal Frank Leo, Archbishop of Toronto, and Bishop Paolo Martinelli, OFM Cap., Apostolic Vicar of Southern Arabia.

That day’s reflections will focus on “the Trinity and charisms from a synodal and missionary perspective” and “the Virgin Mary as the archetype and model of all vocations.” It will also feature reflections and discussions on the relationship between hierarchical and charismatic gifts, the Magisterium, ecumenism, and contemporary theology.

Finally, the third day will focus on “Theology and Pastoral Care of Vocations and Missions.”

The final day will include sessions on “the theology of the call and the nature of vocation,” “ordained ministries and charisms,” “charisms and consecrated life,” “the ecclesial charism of the sacrament of marriage,” and “celibacy and the baptismal vocation.”

The program will also include a session addressing “theological, anthropological, and psychological perspectives on the prevention of deviant behavior” and another on “Charism put to the test of discernment and freedom, truth and communion in the Spirit.”

Each day of the program will also include introductory presentations, questions, discussions and exchanges, breaks, and daily Mass.

Cardinal Ouellet: Our charisms stem from our relationship with God

In his remarks during the press conference, Cardinal Ouellet stressed that “we are sent by God,” emphasizing that this mission is rooted in our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Being sent by God, he explained, means being transformed by the Holy Spirit, who gives believers the charisms that enable them “to praise, to charity, and [to] grow in all our activities.”

“Our life in God, with God,” he said, “is the priesthood of the Church.”

Cardinal Ouellet then reflected on the relationship between the Holy Spirit, synodality, and the Church’s mission.

He suggested that the role of the Holy Spirit has not always received sufficient emphasis in discussions of synodality, which must begin, he said, with a deeper awareness that Christians are a people sent by God.

While affirming the value of synodality and its long tradition in the life of the Church, Cardinal Ouellet stressed that walking together as the people of God means walking together “with Christ.”

He cautioned that an insufficient emphasis on the sacramental dimension of synodality can lead to an overly sociological understanding of the concept. Instead, Christians must recognize “that we walk together in communion with the Holy Trinity.”

The beauty of unity in diversity

At the heart of this identity, he said, is baptism, in particular our baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

The symposium, Cardinal Ouellet therefore explained, will explore how Christians are called to relate to one another while sharing the “treasure” they have received from God and bearing witness to it.