As a mission-driven platform, the Kircher Network sustains ongoing collaboration through three pillars: HEST clusters and groups advancing teaching and research (covering interfaith relations, ecology, secularization, well-being, and meaningful learning), programmes strengthening Jesuit identity and mission, and projects fostering academic collaboration on key topics through joint courses and training. This work formed the backdrop for the 2026 General Assembly of Presidents and Deans gathered at Ignatianum University in Krakow, on 6–7 July 2026.
Through two days of dialogue, reflection, and strategic planning, participants reviewed the Network’s progress, addressed shared challenges, and identified priorities for the year ahead.
The meeting opened with welcoming remarks from Tomasz Homa, SJ, President of Ignatianum University, and Philip Geister, SJ, President of the Kircher Network. Fr. Geister, with the support of Dr. Susana Di Trolio, Executive Secretary of the Kircher Network, presented the Network’s annual report, financial update, and Operational Plan for 2026–2027. Participants also received updates from Dalibor Renić, SJ, President of the Jesuit Conference of European Provincials (JCEP), and from the International Association of Jesuit Universities (IAJU).
A central theme of the Assembly was the importance of strengthening collaboration with Jesuit universities in Africa and Madagascar. Following a presentation by François Kaboré, SJ, President of AJCU–Africa and Madagascar, and reports on current collaboration from the presidents of the University of Namur, Loyola University Andalusia, Jesuit Worldwide Learning, and Loyola Paris, participants reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening cooperation between Kircher member institutions, particularly French-speaking institutions, and their sister universities in Africa and Madagascar, in response to Arturo Sosa, SJ‘s call for deeper collaboration.
The Assembly also featured two major reflection sessions. The first, «Democracy in Crisis and Europe’s Strategic Autonomy: Tensions Facing Jesuit Universities,» brought together Dr. Johannes Wallacher, President of Munich School of Philosophy; Dr. Annick Castiaux, President of University of Namur; and Antonio Allende, SJ, President of Pontifical Comillas University, whose keynote presentations explored contemporary challenges for Jesuit higher education. Their reflections will be published in a special edition of the Kircher Network Newsletter in September.
The second day focused on how Jesuit institutions can reconfigure and collaborate in a time of transition. After an introduction by Geister, participants reflected on four institutional experiences presented by Bruno Nobre, SJ, Dean of the Faculty of Human Sciences at the Catholic University of Portugal; John Moffatt, SJ, Dean of the Heythrop Institute in London; Dr Erik De Bom, Dean of UCSIA (Belgium); and Tobias Specker, SJ, Dean Delegate of the Sankt Georgen Graduate School of Philosophy and Theology. Small-group discussions allowed participants to further exchange experiences and lessons learned in reconfiguration, with the main insights from each group shared in plenary.
The Assembly concluded with the announcement that the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome will host the 2027 Kircher Network General Assembly, to be held from 4–6 July 2027, together with the meeting of the Kircher Group of International Officers from 5–7 July. The Kircher Network warmly thanks the Pontifical Gregorian University for its generosity and hospitality and looks forward to gathering in Rome in 2027.
