We’ve had the ‘Vatican II generation’. What will follow it?

The influence of successive generations is crucial in the story of any institution, such as the church, which takes decades to absorb and feel comfortable with any change.

The legacy of the Second Vatican Council of 1962-65 was carried on by those who participated in that era as young adults and leaders.

It was a coming of age in their church experience for many young lay Catholics, religious, clergy and bishops.

However, they are often referred to as the “Vatican II generation”, and they were “passing through” the church, often in senior roles, during the papacy of Pope Francis.

For many of them, the Francis era was the culmination of the spirit of Vatican II.

That legacy was of a church engaged with wider society, with much greater lay participation and new liturgical approaches, including the replacement of Latin as the language of the church by local languages.

A possible Francis generation

Now the question is whether there is a similar Francis generation, inspired by the decade that Francis was Pope (2013-25), to carry on his legacy.

The legacy is one which consolidated the spirit of Vatican II against some resistance, opened the church further to the world around it through the encyclical Laudato Si, and informed a new way of being church in a more merciful and pastoral way. The latter culminated in the Synod on Synodality, 2022-2024. Synodality is Francis’ major legacy.

Will there be a generation strong enough and united enough to carry it forward?

Thinking about a lasting legacy

Pope Francis himself clearly thought about his legacy of a synodal church, and he was constantly made aware of the internal opposition to his vision. In his last months he announced structures and plans to implement the outcomes of the Synod culminating in an Ecclesial Assembly in October 2028.

Some momentum has also been embedded by the appointments Francis made to the College of Cardinals and to the episcopate around the world.

Beyond structures and appointments

But by themselves these cardinals and bishops cannot make up a whole Francis generation.

Just as the strength and resilience of the “Vatican II generation” lay in the convictions and involvement of multiple layers of clergy, religious and lay Catholics, so the same must apply to a new generation for the followers of Francis’ ideals to become a continuing force.

A call for shared commitment

For this to happen, younger clergy, religious and lay people must share in Francis’ commitment to synodality, not just in the West but in the developing churches in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The proof will lie in the extent to which there is widespread take-up of the new document from the Synod Secretariat called Pathways for the Implementation Phase of the Synod.

Pope Leo XIV will be the key, but he needs the strong support of a Francis generation.

• John Warhurst is an Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the Australian National University.