Gonzaga president meets the pope in Italy

Gonzaga President Katia Passerini made a visit last week to Vatican City, joining 18 other U.S. collegiate presidents in meeting Pope Leo XIV.

Passerini's June 25 trip was coordinated by the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities in partnership with the AJCU Board of Directors. Presidents from 19 Jesuit colleges in North America were in attendance.

The university presidents met with the pope several times during a three-day visit to Rome, according to an AJCU news release. Passerini, who had a photo opportunity with Pope Leo, is in Italy until Monday. She was not available to comment on her experience meeting the pope, who spoke with all the presidents during the trip.

"Your institutions are called not only to teach your students about the injustices faced by those on the margins of society, but also to be powerful channels in promoting systemic change through proposing new models rooted in solidarity and the common good," Pope Leo said in his address to the presidents. "... The studies that take place on your campuses, the friendships that naturally blossom there and the opportunity for all in your academic communities to encounter the thought and research of great scholars, both past and present, can bring a sense of hope and the promise of what could change for the better."

The meetings were held at the General Secretariat of the Synod, the Dicastery for Culture and Education and the Jesuit Curia. During the trip, the group of presidents also visited the rooms where St. Ignatius of Loyola (the founder of the Society of Jesus) lived in Rome.

"Our delegation of pilgrim presidents included those who are brand new to their institutions and those who are veterans," AJCU President Michele Murray said in a news release. "While the majority represent schools in the United States, we were delighted to have the presidents of our institutions in Belize and Regina, Saskatchewan joining us. Our time together in Rome strengthened our ties as members of the AJCU network in North America and deepened our commitment to the global apostolate of Jesuit higher education."

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