Customer Experience Tools of the Catholic Church? Look to Gaudium et Spes and Empathy



Gaudium et Spes: one of the Customer Experience (CX) tools of the Catholic Church
CX begins with empathy, understanding the feelings, frustrations, and hopes of customers.
Gaudium et Spes (the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, promulgated during the Second Vatican Council in 1965) opens with one of the most moving lines in Church documents.
"The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ."
Surprisingly, long before CX became a buzzword, the Catholic Church had already embraced a similar approach (pastorally and spiritually) through one of its most visionary documents (Gaudium et Spes).
Just as CX focuses on understanding and responding to the needs, emotions, and feedback of customers to improve service and foster loyalty, Gaudium et Spes does something similar, but for the Church’s relationship with the modern world.
This document is all about empathy, the Church listening to, understanding, and responding to the "joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties" of humanity.
The Church listens to the “signs of the times” and responds pastorally to the hopes, griefs, and anxieties of humanity especially the poor and afflicted, just like a good CX strategy would prioritize the most vulnerable users.
Much like CX, which seeks to understand and respond to the expectations, emotions, and needs of customers, Gaudium et Spes reoriented the Church’s approach to humanity.
It stepped away from merely issuing proclamations from a lofty tower and instead embraced a listening posture, one that seeks to engage, dialogue, and journey with the people of every age.
Indeed, the Church is a Mother and a teacher.
By: Cosmos Ateli, B.Sc. - Email Atelicosmos1@gmail.com
Cosmos Ateli,  is a lover of Customer Experience and a new writer for Catholic News World. He has a B.Sc degree in Marketing from Delta State University, Nigeria. He is an aspiring Canon Lawyer.


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