Office of the President
‘Profound Moment’—UP President Robert Kelly Meets Pope Leo XIV in Rome
On Wednesday, June 3, University of Portland President Robert D. Kelly, PhD experienced the honor of a face-to-face meeting with Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican in Rome.
Dr. Kelly was one of 22 leaders in U.S. Catholic higher education who attended the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) Rome Seminar, a five-day pilgrimage and conference highlighted by a Private Audience with Pope Leo, the first American-born leader of the Catholic Church.
“Meeting the Pope was one of the most profound moments of my life,” Dr. Kelly wrote from Rome. “Standing there, I didn’t just feel peace for myself—I felt an overwhelming sense of hope.”
Dr. Kelly continued, “The Pope reminded us, as university presidents, that young adults carry a special gift of hope that the world desperately needs. Even when the world feels confusing or uncertain, your dreams and actions can be a beacon for light, truth, and what is good.”
The ACCU delegation visited the Vatican one week after Pope Leo XIV published his first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas: On Safeguarding the Human Person in the Time of Artificial Intelligence. Speaking to the ACCU delegation in his Wednesday morning General Audience, Pope Leo spoke about “the decisive importance of Catholic education in today’s world.”
Referencing themes from Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo told higher ed leaders, “We must be willing to invest generously in the education of future generations. It is crucial that young men and women learn to engage positively with new technologies, while at the same time truly developing their God-given skills and capacities to reason, to think critically and commit knowledge to memory, thus preparing them to shape responsibly the world to come.”
“Given Pope Leo’s recent writings about technology and AI, he spoke directly about the importance of critical thinking—a core element of our teaching mission at the University of Portland,” Dr. Kelly reflected. “Like our professors in the classroom, the Pope urged young people to ask questions, to seek the truth, and to use their minds to discern what is truly good and right.”
“His blessing and words of encouragement were a beautiful reminder about the significant role Catholic higher education plays in guiding our students toward lives of meaning, service, and truth.”
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