IFCU Statement on the election of Leo XIV
The International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) welcomes with joy and hope the election of His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, 267th successor of Saint Peter.
In a world marked by multiple crises – persistent wars, growing injustices, environmental challenges, social and cultural divisions – the advent of this new pontificate is a sign of light and renewal. The IFCU gives thanks for this choice and assures the Holy Father of its prayers and faithful commitment to the service of the Catholic university mission.
This election is also an opportunity to pay profound and grateful tribute to His Holiness Pope Francis. His pontificate has marked the contemporary history of the Church with his constant call for an integral ecology, his priority attention to the most vulnerable, his witness of simplicity, and his tireless quest for peace and universal fraternity. He has given lasting nourishment to the mission of Catholic universities throughout the world.
The choice of the name Leo XIV, echoing Leo XIII and his encyclical Rerum Novarum, underlines the renewed importance of the Church’s commitment to social justice, the dignity of work and the rights of the poorest. This symbolic gesture echoes the vocation of Catholic universities: to think about a more just future, to form consciences and to contribute through knowledge to the transformation of societies.
Present on five continents and bringing together more than 240 Catholic institutions of higher education, IFCU will respond with faith, academic rigour and intellectual creativity to the new Pope’s call. Faithful to its mission, it will continue to promote integral education, dialogue between cultures and peace-building, in the spirit of the Global Compact on Education.
Dr. François Mabille
IFCU Secretary General
Message of Condolences on the Passing of His Holiness Pope Francis
The International Federation of Catholic Universities expresses its profound sorrow at the passing of His Holiness Pope Francis, a shepherd of immense compassion, vision, and wisdom. His pontificate has been a beacon for humanity, particularly for the academic world, which he consistently called to a higher sense of responsibility, solidarity, and service.
Throughout his papacy, Pope Francis emphasized the vital role of Catholic universities in shaping a more just, humane, and sustainable world. He saw in our institutions not only centers of learning, but communities of discernment and hope—spaces where faith and reason meet, and where new generations are formed to be builders of peace and dialogue.
IFCU was honored to meet with the Holy Father on several occasions. In these encounters, he challenged us to go beyond intellectual excellence and to embrace what he called the “culture of encounter.” He reminded us that education is never neutral: it either contributes to building a culture of life and inclusion, or it risks reinforcing indifference and exclusion. In his words and actions, Pope Francis entrusted Catholic universities with a mission—to be laboratories of fraternity, homes of ecological conversion, and instruments of integral human development.
His address to the academic community at the Catholic University of Portugal during the World Youth Day in Lisbon in 2023 remains a landmark. In it, he invited students and educators alike to be “poets of social change.” His appeal to link academic inquiry with ethical and ecological responsibility echoed the heart of his encyclicals Laudato Si’ and Fratelli Tutti, which continue to inspire our work.
As a Federation that unites Catholic higher education institutions across the globe, we pledge to carry forward the vision Pope Francis so compellingly articulated. His legacy calls us to form consciences, foster dialogue, promote peace, and accompany the marginalized—especially the young, the poor, and the planet itself.
We offer our prayers for the eternal rest of His Holiness and extend our condolences to the global Catholic community. May his life and teachings continue to guide Catholic universities in their mission to transform the world through truth, compassion, and faith.
Isabel Capeloa Gil
IFCU President
IFCU GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2025! REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
IFCU CENTENARY 1924-2024
Pope Francis addresses the International Federation of Catholic Universities on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of its foundation
Your Eminence, Your Excellencies,
Dear brothers and sisters!
[I was planning to deliver a lengthy address, but I am a bit short of breath; as you can see, this cold is not going away! I am giving you the text so that you can read it for yourselves. I thank all of you for this meeting and for all the good that our Catholic universities do by communicating knowledge, the word of God and an authentic humanism. Never tire of persevering in the splendid mission of Catholic universities. It is not their confessional status that gives them their identity: that is one aspect, but not the only one. It is perhaps that clear humanism which makes people realize that human beings have values and that these need to be respected. This is perhaps the finest and greatest thing about your universities. Thank you very much.]
Click on the image to read the address of the Holy Father
Experience the Federation Centenary Conference in video
Experience the Federation Centenary Conference in pictures
Watch the speeches on our YouTube channel
NEWS
Following the meeting of the IFCU Board of Administration that took place in Paris on April 25, the SUMMA exhibition was inaugurated in Rome on the 29, at the IPSAR Gallery. Organized by the International Federation of Catholic Universities (FIUC), this event is part of IFCU’s centenary celebrations.
Rather than presenting a chronological history, SUMMA reflects on the enduring spirit of the university as an ancient institution. It emphasizes the Church’s foundational role in the development of universities and highlights core academic values such as dignity, autonomy, integrity, and critical thinking.
Curated by Luísa Leal de Faria and Paulo Campos Pinto, with support from IPSAR Rector Monsignor Agostinho Borges, the exhibition includes works from the Vatican Apostolic Library, the Dicastery for Culture and Education, and the Sidival Fila Foundation.
The exhibition also honors Pope Francis’ vision for Catholic universities as institutions that must serve the common good by fostering knowledge, ethics, and inclusivity—particularly relevant in the era of Artificial Intelligence.
Open to the public until the end of July, SUMMA invites reflection on the university’s historical roots and its vital role in today’s uncertain global landscape.
The Pope to artists “Art is not a luxury”, but “a necessity of the spirit”.
Isabel Capeloa Gil, our President, represented FIUC and took part in the jubilee of artists and the world of culture. She was one of the speakers at the international conference entitled “Sharing Hope. Horizons for cultural heritage”. The conference was held on February 15 in the Vatican Museums, as part of the cultural initiatives organized for the Jubilee of Artists and the World of Culture, which took place in Rome from February 16 to 18, 2025.
On the occasion of the Jubilee of Artists, a mass was celebrated on Sunday February 16 in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. In his homily, read by Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, to artists and men of culture, the Pope affirmed that he sees them as guardians of the beatitudes and beauty, while inviting them to educate in hope. (Homily)
Africa Peace and Development Network Webinar – 21 May 2025 – “Building Durable Peace for the Africa Great Lakes Region”
Our next training session “Leading Catholic Universities in the XXIst Century” will be organized from September 14 to 19, 2025. It will be hosted by the Pontifical Irish College.
Our 2024 session focused on the specificity of Catholic identity, including the nature of a Catholic university, the Catholic intellectual tradition, etc. It was also oriented to specific issues in the management, quality assurance and social responsibility of such institutions. The group composed by university executives coming from Angola, Congo DR, France, Lebanon, Palestine, Nigeria, The Philippines, Uganda and Uruguay attended a Papal Audience and met with authorities of the Dicastery for Culture and Education and AVEPRO.
30th ASEACCU Annual Conference “What makes a Catholic University Catholic? Expressing and Integrating Identity and Mission”
The 30th ASEACCU Annual Conference was held from August 21st to Aug 23rd, 2024, in Sydney, Australia. An important and annual gathering within the ASEACCU community, this year’s Conference was hosted by the Australian Catholic University (ACU) and welcomed over 200 Conference delegates and guests.
On August 22, IFCU sponsored the following Rector’s Panel: Catholic universities and social impact – what does the future hold with the participation of Prof. Zlatko Skrbis (ACU), Prof. Lucia Shih-Ling Lin (Providence University), Prof. Francis Yi Chen Lan (Fu Jen Catholic University) and our President Prof. Isabel Capeloa Gil (Catholic University of Portugal)
Building Bridges: Communication, Identity and Trust – Rome, September 16-18, 2024
As part of the centenary of the IFCU, the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in collaboration with ODUCAL, has brought together more than 50 Communicators from Catholic Universities coming from Latin America, Spain and Italy.
The meeting aimed to reflect on the role that those responsible for communication of Catholic universities have in consolidating critical thinking, constructive dialogue and trust.
Replay of the Conference! (Click on the image)
The Conference “The Geopolitics of Higher Education” was organized jointly by IFCU and the COMECE.
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