CLAYSS in Rome: Meeting with Pope Francis and Rectors Organized by the IFCU

On 18th and 19th January, our executive director, Enrique Ochoa, and our Uniservitate coordinator, María Rosa Tapia, participated in the meeting of rectors organised by the International Federation of Catholic Universities (FIUC) in Rome.

This event, held as part of the institution’s centenary celebrations, included the participation of leading experts in higher education. Isabel Capeloa Gil delivered the opening remarks, emphasizing that the meeting would provide participants with the opportunity to reflect on the future of Catholic higher education institutions and their role in today’s and tomorrow’s world. Service-learning was a prominent theme in its sessions and round tables.

On the second day, Pope Francis welcomed the participants in a private audience. He encouraged them “not to allow fear to guide the management of [their] universities”. He added that institutions should not hide behind their walls, that they should not be afraid to face cultural challenges, and not turn their backs on the complexity of reality.

When Enrique and María Rosa approached the Pope, they could share part of their work and present him with a publication from the Uniservitate collection, to which Pope Francis replied: “You all are working very well”.