Pope sends message to the Second Synodal Meeting of University Rectors for the Care of Our Common Home

From 20 to 24 May, the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro is hosting the II Synodal Meeting of University Rectors for the Care of our Common Home, an initiative that marks the 10th anniversary of the encyclical Laudato si' and prepares the way for COP30, to be held in 2025 in Brazil. 

The event brings together representatives of around 200 universities from the Americas and the Iberian Peninsula, under the theme ‘Ecological Debt and Public Hope’, promoting collective discernment and the construction of synodal proposals to face the socio-environmental crisis.

In his video message, Pope Leo XIV expressed his support and gratitude to the participating universities, emphasising the role of academia in promoting ecological and social justice and encouraging reflection on the cancellation of public and ecological debt. ‘I encourage you to continue building bridges,’ says the Holy Father, also leaving his blessing on all the participants.

The Universidade Católica Portuguesa joins this initiative, highlighting the value of cooperation between universities in building a fairer and more fraternal future - a commitment reiterated in the speech by President Isabel Capeloa Gil at the Master Class entitled ‘Praise of Hope: a cultural look at integral ecology in a time of disruption’ on 15 May at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio).

Watch the Pope's message Here.

Related News

Católica Escola das Artes
Seminar “The Sea as Potential and Representation: Unlocking the Power of the Oceans”
The Universidade Católica Portuguesa, in collaboration with Sophia University (Tokyo, Japan), is organising the seminar ‘The Sea as Potential and Representation: Unlocking the Power of the Oceans’, which will take place on June 18 at 2pm in the Portugal Pavilion at EXPO 2025 in Osaka, Japan. Find out more here.

Tue, 20/05/2025

Católica
Message from the President | Election of Pope Leo XIV
The Universidade Católica Portuguesa expresses its most sincere congratulations to His Holiness Pope Leo XIV, yesterday elected Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church, wishing that his pontificate will be enlightened by the Holy Spirit in the pursuit of ethical leadership for our time. See the full message here.

Fri, 09/05/2025

Católica
Peter Hanenberg participates in European webinar on Open Science and Knowledge Security
Peter Hanenberg, Vice-Rector of the Universidade Católica Portuguesa, participated on May 13 in the international webinar “Open Science and Knowledge Security: Aligning European Policy and Practice”, dedicated to discussing the role of open science in the current European context of strengthening knowledge security policies. Find out more here.

Wed, 14/05/2025