Global Summit in Rome to Tackle Migration and Refugee Issues
From October 1-3, representatives from over 40 nations will convene to develop a strategic Action Plan aimed at uniting educational institutions and community organizations in addressing global migration and refugee challenges.
VILLANOVA, Pa.— The Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration at Villanova University is spearheading a global initiative named Refugees & Migrants in Our Common Home. This three-year program seeks to confront significant issues facing migrants and refugees worldwide by forming alliances among academic bodies, non-governmental organizations, and community groups.
The first event of this initiative is a conference, sharing its name with the project, organized by the Mother Cabrini Institute. Scheduled for October 1-3 at the Instituto Patristico Augustinianum in Rome, the conference aims to launch the Action Plan. It coincides with the Catholic Church’s Jubilee of Migrants, an event celebrating the courage and resilience of the migrant community.
Inspired by the late Pope Francis, who called upon Catholic educational institutions to engage in addressing immigration issues, the initiative is further guided by Pope Leo XIV, an alumnus of Villanova and Augustinian friar. He has urged the world to foster communities characterized by dignity, compassion, and shared humanity. Participants will have a private audience with Pope Leo on the second day of the conference.
“As an institution founded to educate immigrants, this is an issue that is inherently tied to our history as a University,” stated Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA, PhD, President of Villanova University. “Villanova 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.”
The conference will assemble more than 225 delegates from over 40 countries to draft a foundational action plan. This plan aims to enhance and synchronize the academic response to migrant and refugee challenges, grounded in four pillars: teaching, research, advocacy, and service. Attendees will be divided into working groups aligned with these pillars.
“This summit is about more than dialogue—it’s about building the frameworks and relationships that will sustain change for decades to come,” commented Michele Pistone, JD, LLM, founder and faculty director of The Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration, professor of Law at Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law, and conference chair.
Professor Pistone, a globally recognized scholar and advocate, will deliver a keynote speech. Over two dozen members from the Villanova community will participate, including:
- Lorena Ávila, 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
Additional keynote speakers 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 for the summit in Rome 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.
About the Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration: The organizer of the initiative, Villanova University’s Mother Cabrini Institute on Immigration, aligns with Villanova’s mission, values, and history in engaging with University and community partners in teaching, scholarship, advocacy, and service for migrants and refugees. These are the core principles of the global Refugees & Migrants in Our Common Home project. Rooted in Villanova’s Augustinian values of Veritas, Unitas, Caritas (Truth, Unity, Love), the Institute furthers the University’s mission while honoring Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, patroness of immigrants. This interdisciplinary, university-wide institute builds upon and combines the foundational work of Villanova’s Strategic Initiative for Migrants and Refugees and Cabrini University’s Center on Immigration.
The Institute’s leadership in the conference and global initiative underlines the University’s steadfast dedication to safeguarding the most vulnerable and serving the greater good. This commitment is evident in numerous related programs on campus, as well as in research and scholarship.
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