In a meeting with the Presidents of Jesuit colleges and universities in North America, Pope Leo XIV says colleges and universities can be ideal spaces for confronting issues facing society, such as addressing the needs of marginalized people and reflecting on the impact of artificial intelligence.
By Isabella H. de Carvalho
By promoting the search for truth, being close to those who are marginalized and young people, and working to protect the environment, colleges and universities become important spaces to confront the challenges facing humanity today, Pope Leo XIV said on Thursday, June 25.
“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,” the Pope said, in a meeting at the Vatican with the presidents and representatives of Jesuit colleges and universities in North America.
In his address, Pope Leo offered a roadmap to how these institutions can help their members confront society’s most pressing issues.
The Pope drew inspiration from the Jesuits’ four Universal Apostolic Preferences: themes that were established in 2019 and aim to guide the work of the Society of Jesus for the following 10 years.
The Preferences are: showing the way to God, walking with the excluded, journeying with youth, and caring for our common home.
An age of epochal change
Pope Leo XIV began his address by highlighting the “multitude of challenges facing humanity today” in a time that “has been called an age of epochal change.”
He underlined that societies are becoming more secularized, “with many seeking to push any mention of God out of the public sphere and beyond popular culture,” or how political systems don’t address the “cry of the poor, migrants, and those whom the world considers to be outcasts.”
The Pope emphasized that young people often don’t have hope for a better future and that the planet’s resources are regularly being used for personal interests.
He also noted the growing impact of artificial intelligence on humanity.
Pope Leo XIV meets with representatives from the Jesuit colleges and universities in North America (@VATICAN MEDIA)
Offer opportunities to immigrants and refugees
In this regard, he noted that the Jesuits’ four Universal Apostolic Preferences can help address these issues.
In terms of the theme walking with the poor, the Pope emphasized how this is particularly important “in a time when record numbers of our brothers and sisters are living in poverty.”
He said many people are forced to leave their homes due to war, religious or political persecution, hunger, or climate change.
The Pope insisted that the Jesuit higher education institutions are not only called to promote the common good and solidarity but also “to offer opportunities for immigrants, refugees, and those of a lower socio-economic status to have the benefit of an advanced education.”
“In this way, they will be able to integrate more fully into the societies in which they live as well as enrich the wider student bodies with their diverse experiences and perspectives,” he continued.
The negative and positive consequences of AI
Although not a specific theme in the Jesuits’ Preferences, the Pope also spoke about the impact of artificial intelligence, noting that colleges and universities can play a special role in addressing the negative and positive consequences of this technological development.
These institutions can especially give a “fresh impetus to the principles of the Church’s Social Doctrine “in a way that will be relevant and effective in addressing the digital revolution,” he explained.
Pope Leo XIV meets with representatives from the Jesuit colleges and universities in North America (@VATICAN MEDIA)
Create hope in young people
With regards to the theme of accompanying young people, the Pope insisted that colleges and universities are natural places to generate hope in a better future.
Students, he noted, often begin their academic careers filled with idealism and energy and, through their studies and the relationships, find a renewed sense of hope in changing the world for the better.
“I invite you to continue to foster that sense of hope among those in your communities through opportunities for dialogue, service, and prayer, remembering always that the resurrection of Christ is the ultimate source of hope and that with him all things are possible,” the Pope said.
In caring for creation, lead by example
Turning to the theme of caring for creation, Pope Leo encouraged Jesuit-run institutions to “instruct by example, and not solely in theory,” especially given the effects of climate change and “the exploitation of resources by a few at the expense of the common good.”
“I encourage you to persevere with your efforts to educate those on your campuses regarding these current dangers, but also to let your communities be examples of ecological sustainability, simplicity, and gratitude for God’s gifts,” he said.
Pope Leo XIV during the audience (@VATICAN MEDIA)
Those who seek the truth seek God
With respect to the theme showing the way to God, the Pope pointed out that “those who conduct research, those who pursue studies, and those who seek the truth are ultimately seeking God, whether they realize it or not.”
He insisted on the importance of creating academic communities in which members can get to know “the One who is Truth,” and respond to the growing hunger for God amongst young people.
In this respect, the Pope urged the Jesuits to encourage a wide participation in the Spiritual Exercises, as they can also help offer discernment on important decisions.
The Pope ended his speech by calling the Society of Jesus—with the help of their founder St. Ignatius of Loyola—to “continue the Jesuit tradition” of forming those entrusted to their care “to be ‘men and women for others’.”
