Pope Leo Calls on Lateran University to ‘Pursue the Truth’

Vatican City, November 15, 2025: Pope Leo visited the Pontifical Lateran University on Friday for the inauguration of the 2025–2026 academic year, affirming that the institution “holds a special place” in his heart. The university, known since a landmark 1980 address by Pope John Paul II as “the Pope’s university,” opened its 253rd academic year during the ceremony.

Grand Chancellor Cardinal Baldassare Reina, Rector Magnificus Archbishop Alfonso V. Amarante, members of the coordinating council, professors, students, and civil and religious authorities welcomed the Pope as he joined the university community in the Aula Magna. There, he took part in the Dies Academicus, a moment of reflection marking the beginning of the academic year.

A Mission Rooted in the Papal Magisterium

Pope Leo told attendees that the Lateran University “occupies a special place in the heart of the Pope,” encouraging its community to “dream big” and create spaces for the growth of Christian faith. He emphasised that the university’s distinctive identity lies not in a founding charism, like other Roman institutions, but in its unique orientation to “the Pope’s magisterium.”

He described the Lateran as “a privileged centre” where the teaching of the universal Church is developed and contextualised—an institution referenced even by the Roman Curia in its daily work. This mission extends across 28 affiliated institutes in Europe, Asia and the Americas, reflecting cultural diversity while fostering unity and fidelity to Petrine teaching.

Faith, Truth, and Dialogue

The Pope stressed the need to reflect on faith today “in order to articulate it within the contemporary cultural scenario”, addressing current societal challenges and preventing what he called “a cultural void.” He urged the Faculty of Theology to highlight the richness and credibility of faith in modern contexts, presenting it as “deeply human” and capable of transforming lives.

Philosophy, Law, and Peace Studies

Pope Leo said philosophy must guide the search for truth through reason while engaging in dialogue with cultures and Christian Revelation. He encouraged the faculties of canon and civil law to continue investigating the relationship between civil legal systems and the Church.

He also highlighted programmes in peace studies, ecology and the environment, noting that these disciplines will take on a more structured institutional form in the coming years. Peace, he reminded, is a gift that also requires daily commitment and concerted national and international action.

‘Uncharted Territory’

Cardinal Reina praised the university’s interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary commitment, supported by 130 teachers, 34 administrators and more than a thousand students. Despite demographic and economic challenges, he said the university is exploring new avenues in research and teaching, aiming to design courses that respond to the Petrine magisterium.

Pope Leo Calls on Lateran University to ‘Pursue the Truth’

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