Vatican City: Catholic universities around the world are coming together for a new international art initiative that aims to explore some of the most important challenges facing society today. The Catholic Universities Art Triennial will bring artists, academics, curators and cultural institutions together to examine how art can encourage dialogue, empathy and a deeper understanding of human life.
The initiative is promoted by the Dicastery for Culture and Education of the Holy See and will take place across several countries during 2026 and 2027. A series of exhibitions, artistic commissions, publications and public programmes will be organised by participating Catholic universities before the Triennial concludes in Venice.
The project was created around three main areas: artistic creation, academic research and dialogue. Its organisers believe that art can offer universities a valuable way to reflect on complex issues and encourage people to look beyond purely technical or academic solutions.
The first edition is titled Exercises in Empathy. It will be presented in seven cities, including Rio de Janeiro, Santiago, Bogotá, Boston, Milan, Lisbon and Luanda. The exhibitions will focus on the importance of human relationships, higher education and empathy in a rapidly changing world.
The initiative also comes at a time when artificial intelligence is raising new questions about what makes human beings unique. Pope Leo XIV, in his encyclical Magnifica humanitas, notes that artificial intelligence may be able to imitate empathy and understanding, but it does not possess the emotional, relational and spiritual perspective through which human beings develop wisdom.
This concern is one of the important ideas behind the Triennial. Through contemporary art and academic discussion, the participating universities hope to create spaces where people can consider how technology and other developments are changing human relationships and society.
Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, highlighted the important role Catholic universities can play in this process. He recalled Pope John Paul II’s description of universities as centres of creativity and influence.
The initiative views universities not simply as places where students acquire technical knowledge, but as communities where people can develop new ideas, bring different perspectives together and imagine better ways of organising society.
Empathy is therefore placed at the centre of the project. The organisers believe that education rooted in empathy can help people approach differences without fear. It can also encourage professionals to see others as human beings rather than simply as information, numbers or functions.
The same principle can extend into the workplace and wider society. A culture of empathy can create environments where people recognise and respect one another instead of focusing only on productivity and results.
The Triennial also reflects Pope Leo XIV’s call for universities to respond creatively to the challenges of the modern world and contribute to societies that are more just and fraternal.
Seven Catholic universities are participating in the first edition. They are the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Chile, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana in Colombia, Boston College in the United States, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan, Universidade Católica Portuguesa in Lisbon and Universidade Católica de Angola in Luanda.
The programme will begin in Brazil on August 27, with the exhibition running until November 15, 2026. Chile will follow on September 3, with its exhibition continuing until November 22. The Colombian exhibition will open in Bogotá on September 9 and continue until November.
Boston College will begin its exhibition on September 23, with the programme continuing until December. Milan will follow on October 6, while Lisbon will begin its programme on October 12. The first edition will conclude its scheduled exhibitions in Luanda, Angola, beginning October 29 and continuing until December 20.
Although each university will organise its own programme, the exhibitions are connected by the common theme of empathy and the role of art in understanding contemporary life.
The Catholic Universities Art Triennial seeks to bring different areas of knowledge into conversation. By combining art, education and ethics, the organisers hope to create opportunities for people to listen to one another and recognise experiences that may be different from their own.
At a time when societies are dealing with technological change, social divisions and growing questions about human relationships, the initiative presents art as more than an expression of creativity. It sees art as a way to open conversations, encourage reflection, and help people consider how a more humane society can be built.
Through the Triennial, Catholic universities are being invited to use their role as centres of learning and creativity to address the challenges of the present while keeping human dignity, relationships and empathy at the heart of their mission.