{"id":13410,"date":"2026-06-26T19:23:32","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T23:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/?p=13410"},"modified":"2026-06-26T19:23:32","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T23:23:32","slug":"saint-peters-president-dr-hubert-benitez-joins-jesuit-university-leaders-for-historic-vatican-gathering","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/26\/saint-peters-president-dr-hubert-benitez-joins-jesuit-university-leaders-for-historic-vatican-gathering\/","title":{"rendered":"Saint Peter’s President Dr. Hubert Benitez Joins Jesuit University Leaders for Historic Vatican Gathering"},"content":{"rendered":"

JERSEY CITY, N.J.<\/strong> \u2013 June 26, 2026 –<\/strong> Dr. Hubert Benitez, D.D.S, Ph.D., president of Saint Peter\u2019s University, joined fellow presidents, their spouses and representatives from the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) \u00a0this week in Vatican City for a pilgrimage to Rome that included a private audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV and a meeting with the Superior General of the Society of Jesus, Fr. Arturo Sosa, S.J.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The gathering brought together leaders of Jesuit institutions to reflect on the shared mission of Catholic, Jesuit higher education and its role in addressing the most pressing challenges facing society.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Holy Father began his address by highlighting the \u201cmultitude of challenges facing humanity today\u201d in a time that “has been called an age of epochal change.\u201d Pope Leo XIV encouraged university leaders to remain faithful to the Jesuit tradition of intellectual excellence while preparing students to lead with wisdom, compassion, and ethical responsibility in an increasingly complex world.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Pope Leo XIV also emphasized the need to care for the poor and those immigrating to the United States \u201cin a time when record numbers of our brothers and sisters are living in poverty.\u201d He said many people are forced to leave their homes due to war, religious or political persecution, hunger, or climate change. Pope Leo insisted that the Jesuit higher education institutions are not only called to promote the common good and solidarity but also \u201cto offer opportunities for immigrants, refugees, and those of a lower socio-economic status to have the benefit of an advanced education.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>The presidents also met with Fr. Arturo Sosa, Superior General of the Society of Jesus, who reflected on the global mission of Jesuit education and the vital importance of collaboration among the Society’s colleges and universities. He challenged the presidents to cultivate the leadership, discernment, and vision needed to respond effectively to the evolving needs of today’s world.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Vatican visit reaffirmed the shared commitment of Jesuit colleges and universities worldwide to educating the whole person\u2014mind, body, and spirit\u2014while responding to the evolving needs of society through academic excellence, ethical leadership, and service.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>“The opportunity to gather with fellow Jesuit university presidents and hear directly from Pope Leo XIV and Fr Sosa was both inspiring and affirming,” said Dr. Benitez. “Their message reminds us that Jesuit education has an essential role to play in forming graduates who possess not only knowledge and professional expertise, but also the moral courage and compassion needed to address the challenges of our world.” In a deeply personal moment with Pope Leo, Dr. Benitez asked His Holiness to bless Saint Peter’s University and all those who make its mission possible, praying that we may continue to extend the promise of a Jesuit education to students whose determination often exceeds their opportunities, transforming not only individual lives but families, communities, and future generations.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Vatican meetings concluded with a renewed commitment among Jesuit institutions to strengthen their collaboration and continue preparing students to become thoughtful leaders dedicated to faith, justice, and the service of humanity.<\/p>\n

Read more on Vatican News<\/a><\/p>\n

Review the full remarks from Pope Leo XIV<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JERSEY CITY, N.J. \u2013 June 26, 2026 – Dr. Hubert Benitez, D.D.S, Ph.D., president of Saint Peter\u2019s University, joined fellow presidents, their spouses and representatives from the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) \u00a0this week in Vatican City for a pilgrimage to Rome that included a private audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1293,"featured_media":13412,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3,5,2],"tags":[24],"class_list":["post-13410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-current-students","category-faculty-staff","category-future-students","tag-featured"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nBTÂìÒÏ President Dr. Hubert Benitez Joins Jesuit University Leaders for Historic Vatican Gathering - News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"BTÂìÒÏ University welcomed its largest freshmen class in either years as the 25-26 year kicks off with Mass of the Holy Spirit.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/26\/saint-peters-president-dr-hubert-benitez-joins-jesuit-university-leaders-for-historic-vatican-gathering\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"dbocchino\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/26\/saint-peters-president-dr-hubert-benitez-joins-jesuit-university-leaders-for-historic-vatican-gathering\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/26\/saint-peters-president-dr-hubert-benitez-joins-jesuit-university-leaders-for-historic-vatican-gathering\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"dbocchino\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/e34d0022b2f64ab992c01054c76a4ab2\"},\"headline\":\"Saint Peter’s President Dr. Hubert Benitez Joins Jesuit University Leaders for Historic Vatican Gathering\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-26T23:23:32+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/26\/saint-peters-president-dr-hubert-benitez-joins-jesuit-university-leaders-for-historic-vatican-gathering\/\"},\"wordCount\":539,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/26\/saint-peters-president-dr-hubert-benitez-joins-jesuit-university-leaders-for-historic-vatican-gathering\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/230\/files\/2026\/06\/Papal-Audience-2-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Featured\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Alumni\",\"Current Students\",\"Faculty Staff\",\"Future Students\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/26\/saint-peters-president-dr-hubert-benitez-joins-jesuit-university-leaders-for-historic-vatican-gathering\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.saintpeters.edu\/news\/2026\/06\/26\/saint-peters-president-dr-hubert-benitez-joins-jesuit-university-leaders-for-historic-vatican-gathering\/\",\"name\":\"BTÂìÒÏ President Dr. Hubert Benitez Joins Jesuit University Leaders for Historic Vatican Gathering - 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