Can a Small Phrase Shape the Future of the Church?
In this video, Pedro Gabriel explores how seemingly minor expressions—like “active participation” from Pope St. Pius X—have gone on to transform Catholic doctrine and practice over decades. Now, another phrase is emerging that might carry similar weight: “culture of encounter.”
First introduced by Pope Francis and now echoed by Pope Leo XIV, this phrase isn’t just rhetorical flair. It’s rooted in a deep theology of encounter—a vision of the Church that steps out, meets people where they are, and leads with compassion, not condemnation.
In this video we’ll explore the following:
– What does “culture of encounter” mean?
– What is “theology of encounter”?
– Could this subtle phrase quietly reshape Catholic evangelization?
If you’ve ever wondered how Church teachings evolve, and how language plays a powerful role in that process, check this video out.
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Pedro Gabriel, MD, is a Catholic layman and physician, born and residing in Portugal. He is a medical oncologist, currently employed in a Portuguese public hospital. A published writer of Catholic novels with a Tolkienite flavor, he is also a parish reader and a former catechist. He seeks to better understand the relationship of God and Man by putting the lens on the frailty of the human condition, be it physical and spiritual. He also wishes to provide a fresh perspective of current Church and World affairs from the point of view of a small western European country, highly secularized but also highly Catholic by tradition.
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