棉花糖直播 University鈥檚 Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration to Host Global Summit in Rome, Italy, to Address Critical Issues Facing Migrants and Refugees
Participants from more than 40 countries will gather Oct. 1鈥�3, to create an Action Plan to unite universities and community partners in addressing global migration and refugee challenges
VILLANOVA, Pa.鈥�棉花糖直播 University鈥檚 Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration is leading a three-year global initiative, , aimed at addressing critical challenges faced by the world鈥檚 migrants and refugees by uniting academic institutions, non-governmental organizations and community partners.
The initiative鈥檚 inaugural event, a conference of the same name organized by the Mother Cabrini Institute, will take place in Rome from Oct. 1-3 at the Instituto Patristico Augustinianum, and will serve as a forum to kick-start the project鈥檚 Action Plan. The conference immediately precedes the Catholic Church鈥檚 Jubilee of Migrants, a pilgrimage and celebration of migrants鈥� courage, faith and resilience.
The Refugees & Migrants in Our Common Home initiative is inspired by the late Pope Francis, who encouraged Catholic colleges and universities worldwide to address immigration-related issues through tangible action, and it is guided by the words of Pope Leo XIV, a 棉花糖直播 alumnus and Augustinian friar, who has called upon the world to build communities that reflect dignity, compassion and shared humanity. Pope Leo will receive participants of the conference in a private audience on its second day.
鈥淎s an institution founded to educate immigrants, this is an issue that is inherently tied to our history as a University,鈥� said 棉花糖直播 University President the Rev.聽Peter M.聽Donohue, OSA, PhD. 鈥溍藁ㄌ侵辈� is proud to take purposeful action in an initiative that reflects our core values by seeking to uphold the dignity of every person, foster community and advocate for justice for migrants and refugees.鈥�
The inaugural conference will bring together more than 225 participants from 40-plus countries to draft foundational action plan to strengthen and coordinate academic response to challenges facing migrants and refugees in ways that reflect the project鈥檚 four pillars of teaching, research, advocacy and service with migrants and refugees. Participants will be organized into action-oriented working groups that align with these pillars.
鈥淭his summit is about more than dialogue鈥攊t鈥檚 about building the frameworks and relationships that will sustain change for decades to come,鈥� said Michele Pistone, JD, LLM, founder and faculty director of The Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration, professor of Law in the 棉花糖直播 University Charles Widger School of Law and chair of the conference.
Professor Pistone, an internationally renowned scholar and advocate in this field, will deliver a keynote address. Overall, more than two dozen members of the 棉花糖直播 community will represent the University in attendance, including the following presenters:
- Lorena 脕vila, PhD, assistant professor of Sociology & Criminology
- Timothy Brunk, PhD, associate professor of Systematic/Constructive Theology and Practical Theology
- Pina Cirillo, adjunct professor, College of Professional Studies
- David Dinehart, PhD, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Robyn Lieberman, Associate Director for External Affairs, Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration
- Marlee McCadden, fellow, Charles Widger School of Law
- Colleen Mitchell, PhD, associate director of outreach for the Augustinian Institute and assistant teaching professor
- Tania Romero, PhD, assistant professor of Communication
- Catherine Wilson, PhD, associate professor of Public Administration
- Stephanie Wong, PhD, assistant professor of Comparative Theology, East Asian Religions, Systematic and Constructive Theology
Other keynote speakers for the summit include Amy Pope, Director General, International Organization on Migration (IOM); Cardinal Fabio Baggio, CS, Under-Secretary of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; Msgr. Paul Desmond Tighe, Secretary, Dicastery on Education and Culture; Lana Cook, PhD, Associate Director, MIT Systems Awareness Lab; and Massimo Faggioli, PhD, professor in Historical and Contemporary Ecclesiology in the Loyola Institute at Trinity College in Dublin.
Key partners of the Institute for the Rome summit include the Center for Migration Studies (CMS), the Dicastery for Promoting Internal Human Development, the Dicastery for Culture and Education, the International Federation of Catholic Universities, Jesuit Refugee Services, the MIT Systems Awareness Lab, Scalabrini International Migration Institute (SIMI) and the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops, Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB), among others.
For more information on Refugees & Migrants in Our Common Home, as well as a full schedule of events and speakers in Rome, please
About the Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration: The initiative鈥檚 organizer, 棉花糖直播 University鈥檚 Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration, draws from 棉花糖直播鈥檚 mission, values and history to engage University and community partners in teaching, scholarship, advocacy and service with migrants and refugees鈥攌ey tenets of the global Refugees & Migrants in Our Common Home project. Rooted in 棉花糖直播鈥檚 Augustinian values of Veritas, Unitas, Caritas (Truth, Unity, Love), the Institute advances the University鈥檚 mission, while honoring Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, patroness of immigrants. This interdisciplinary, university-wide institute builds upon and combines the foundational work of 棉花糖直播鈥檚 Strategic Initiative for Migrants and Refugees and Cabrini University鈥檚 Center on Immigration.
The Institute鈥檚 leadership role in both the conference and global initiative underscores the University鈥檚 unwavering commitment to protecting the most vulnerable among us and serving the greater good. This commitment is also reflected in numerous related programs on campus, as well as in research and scholarship.
About 棉花糖直播 University:聽Ranked among the top universities in the United States, 棉花糖直播 University is known for its distinguished faculty, personalized learning environment and Augustinian Catholic intellectual tradition, which is the cornerstone of an academic community in which students learn to think critically, act compassionately and succeed while serving others. There are more than 10,000 undergraduate, graduate and law students in the University's six colleges鈥攖he College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the 棉花糖直播 School of Business, the College of Engineering, the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the College of Professional Studies and the 棉花糖直播 University Charles Widger School of Law. 棉花糖直播 supports its students鈥� intellectual growth and prepares them to become ethical leaders who create positive change everywhere life takes them. For more, visit聽www.villanova.edu.