Isabel Capeloa Gil: “At the heart of the mission of the Catholic university is the search for truth that is also a statement of trust”
“We are gathered in Rome to honor the vision of those who came before us and dared to create a coalition of goodwill amongst distinct partner universities, diverse in their mission and reality, united in their pursuit of knowledge and commitment to the advancement of science and education”, highlighted the President of Universidade Católica Portuguesa and International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), Isabel Capeloa Gil, on the celebration of IFCU’s centenary.
According to the first woman president of the Federation, “the establishment of the IFCU in 1924 is a landmark in the commitment to fostering intellectual and spiritual growth on a global scale,” to promote “dialogue, exchange, and cooperation among Catholic universities worldwide and create a framework for peace.”
Defined as “global, collegial, and a recognized platform of educational diplomacy, the Federation has built a reputation as a key voice in the advocacy of Catholic higher education and is recognized in the Apostolic Constitution ExCorde Ecclesdiae for its specific role (EC, 35)”, commented Isabel Capeloa Gil.
For 100 years, “IFCU has served as a platform for sharing best practices, nurturing a sense of global solidarity, fostering the creation and development of regional associations (in Europe, North and South America, Africa, and Asia) and working with them in the joint commitment to the pursuit of truth and wisdom”, the President pointed out.
IFCU is also “dedicated to promoting social justice, reflected in its efforts to address global challenges, and inclusivity among its widely varied more than 240 members”, and “has been instrumental in fostering intercultural dialogue, recognizing the importance of understanding and appreciating different voices. That is why our Strategic Development Plan evolving since 2018 is called ‘A Global Voice for a Common Future’”, Isabel Capeloa Gil stressed.
However, as time changes new challenges arrive, and the President of Universidade Católica singled out the 4 most important ones. The first is a cultural issue, connected to “a crisis of religious values, particularly in the global North and in Western societies”; while the second is financial stress, expressed in the “drop in recruitment, decrease in public funding, and failure to inspire donors.
The third challenge is provoked by the “the crisis of truth and trust, with generative AI prompting manipulation, deep fakes, and in addition a growing critique of evidence-based science in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.” And lastly, “high value employment disruption.”
Confronted with these challenges, Isabel Capeloa Gil stresses the value proposition of the Catholic University as “structured around the inalienable defense of dignity, human and that of the planet”. The President stated: “We are places of discomfort because the aspirational goal derives from dissatisfaction, as Pope Francis told the students gathered at Universidade Católica Portuguesa for WYD. Dissatisfaction at inequality, inequity, defacement and abuse.”
In that sense, Catholic Universities “seek social justice, but this is a slow work that requires good storytelling. To change who tells the story and how it is told is to change the world.”