Rector Elena Beccalli received by Pope Leo XIV

Friday 10 April, Pope Leo XIV received Elena Beccalli, Rector of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, in audience.

Professor Beccalli expressed her personal gratitude and that of the entire university community, emphasising the commitment of Università Cattolica to serving society and the Church, both in Italy and around the world.

The audience took place just a few days before the presentation of the University's Strategic Plan for 2026-2028, the first copy of which was presented to the Pope in advance. Rector Beccalli outlined the three guiding principles underpinning the mission of Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore: to promote its profile as a non-profit Catholic university; to favour full integration between its role as an educational community and that of a research university; and to build a place for the experience of knowledge, not merely its transmission.

These guiding principles define the Plan's main initiatives, which are structured around five pillars: the School of Knowledge Integration; the promotion of research and young researchers; high-quality educational offer; internationalisation and the Africa Plan; and fundraising inspired by the University's core values and institutional principles.