Only a few weeks after the publication of his landmark encyclical Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, I found myself standing in the Vatican with Catholic university leaders from across North America, waiting to meet Pope Leo XIV.
As Chair of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities in Canada (ACCUC), I was attending the annual Rome Seminar hosted by our American counterparts, the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU). Together, our organizations represent nearly 250 Catholic colleges and universities and tens of thousands of students annually. More importantly, we share a mission that stretches back almost a millennium to the Church’s founding of the first universities in Europe.
The Rome Seminar brings Catholic educators into conversation with the Vatican departments responsible for education and culture, as well as with organizations dedicated to Catholic intellectual and social life. Yet for all the remarkable discussions that take place during the week, one moment stands above the rest: the opportunity to meet the Holy Father.
Speaking to a gathering of approximately thirty university leaders, Pope Leo offered both an affirmation and a challenge. At a time when higher education is increasingly measured in economic outcomes, employment statistics, and workforce preparation, he reminded us that Catholic education has a far broader purpose. Its mission, he said, is to form human beings capable of pursuing truth.
‘Unless Catholic education instills in students a passion for the truth — and not only intellectual truth, but the truth that is Christ himself — we can hardly expect people to be willing to put forth the effort required to recognize truth and adapt one’s life accordingly.’ In an age marked by polarization, misinformation, and growing social fragmentation, those words landed with particular force.
Pope Leo spoke repeatedly of the ‘decisive importance of Catholic education in today’s world.’ He challenged university leaders to be authentic disciples of Christ so that students might discover in the Catholic faith ‘the unifying vision that truth alone can provide.’
His concern was not simply academic. It was profoundly human. Drawing on themes developed in Magnifica Humanitas, the Pope addressed a phenomenon that many educators encounter daily: students who are awash in information but hungry for meaning. Increasingly, young people are encouraged to specialize early, focus narrowly, and view education primarily as vocational training. While professional preparation is important, Pope Leo warned that an education stripped of broader purpose risks leaving students disconnected—from history, from one another, and even from themselves. He described a generation struggling ‘to connect information with deeper knowledge or maintain a sense of purpose.’
For those of us working in Catholic higher education, the observation was instantly recognizable.
In both Canada and the United States, public policy increasingly pressures institutions to prioritize programs deemed immediately ‘productive’ or economically useful. The humanities and liberal arts are often treated as luxuries rather than necessities. Yet Pope Leo argued precisely the opposite. Education, he insisted, should cultivate what he called a ‘global vision of reality’—one capable of connecting diverse fields of knowledge with the deeper aspirations of the human heart. Students should leave university not merely trained for employment but equipped to understand themselves, their communities, and their responsibilities to the world.
His reflections naturally turned to artificial intelligence. Pope Leo’s perspective is neither fearful nor reactionary. He does not reject technology. Rather, he insists that technology remain at the service of humanity. Artificial intelligence offers extraordinary possibilities. Yet it also carries risks. Algorithms can narrow perspectives. Digital environments can reinforce biases. Social media can create the illusion of connection while deepening loneliness. The challenge is not technological advancement itself but ensuring that human dignity remains at the centre of that advancement.
As the Pope noted, young people must learn to engage positively with new technologies while continuing to develop the uniquely human capacities that no machine can replace: reason, memory, critical thinking, moral judgment, and wisdom. ‘Preparing them to shape responsibly the world to come,’ he reminded us, remains one of education’s greatest responsibilities.
The most moving moment of the gathering came at its conclusion. On behalf of all participating institutions—including Corpus Christi and St. Mark’s Colleges in Vancouver, Newman Theological College in Edmonton, and St. Paul University in Ottawa—the delegates presented Pope Leo with a collective commitment. During the coming academic year, students across our institutions will contribute more than 5,000 hours of service to those living on the margins of society. It was a fitting gift. In a world increasingly captivated by technological power, we offered something profoundly human: service, compassion, and solidarity with the poor. Pope Leo appeared visibly moved by the pledge.
As our meeting ended, he imparted an Apostolic Blessing not only upon those gathered in the room but upon ‘the people, the communities, and the institutions’ we represent.
His words have remained with me ever since.
At a moment when societies across the world wrestle with division, loneliness, and uncertainty about the future, Pope Leo’s message was both simple and profound. Education is not merely about information. Technology is not an end in itself. The ultimate task of both is to serve the human person.
And perhaps that is the most important lesson Catholic higher education can offer our world today: that truth, meaning, community, and human dignity still matter—and always will.
Your voice matters! Join the conversation by submitting a Letter to the Editor here.