Leaders of two Catholic colleges in Lackawanna County felt encouraged, inspired and understood by Pope Leo XIV after meeting him this summer.
The Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of the University of Scranton, and Marywood University President Lisa Lori attended papal audiences during conferences last month. The pope addressed the college presidents in groups before speaking with them individually.
When Marina described the university’s location as only a few hours from Villanova, where Leo earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1977, he found the pope was familiar with the city.
“I know Scranton,” Leo said.
Marina met Leo on June 25 along with 18 leaders of Jesuit colleges and universities that are part of the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities. The pope spoke with the group in the papal palace for 15 minutes, then greeted participants individually.
Marina said he told Leo it was a privilege to meet him. Their encounter, though brief, seemed to last longer, he said.
Leo is the first pope Marina was able to greet — he saw Pope John Paul II during a general papal audience in 1981. The experience with Leo was enriched by being with other Jesuit leaders, he said.
“I was not as nervous as I expected to be. It was just a wonderful experience, the experience of a lifetime,” Marina said. “I don’t know that I’ll have the chance to be in the company of Pope Leo or any other pope going forward. Those things don’t happen all that often, unless you’re working in the Vatican, so it was really a privilege.”
Marina liked that the pope, a member of the Order of St. Augustine, mentioned Jesuit teachings in his address. Leo encouraged the attendees not to lose sight of their traditions.
The pope told the group he understood how challenging their jobs are but encouraged them to stay close to their faith, support each other and rely on the church.
“I think his point was to encourage us and to inspire us and he was successful at both,” he said.
The group took a photo with Leo and each attendee received a rosary blessed by the pope with his crest on it. Marina plans to give the rosary to his aunt, Anne Marina.
University of Scranton President Fr. John Marina SJ discusses his experience meeting with Pope Leo XIV during his trip to the Vatican, while seated in his office with his dog Gracie in Scranton Hall on the campus in Scranton Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
University of Scranton President Father John Marina SJ poses for a photograph in his office in Scranton Hall on the school’s campus in Scranton Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
University of Scranton President Fr. John Marina SJ holds the rosary decorated with Pope Leo XIVs coat of arms in his office in Scranton Hall on the school’s campus in Scranton Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Marywood University President Lisa Lori speaks with Pope Leo XIV during a papal audience with the pontiff last month. Lori was in Rome for a conference for the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. (Courtesy of Marywood University)
Marywood University President Lisa Lori poses alongside a Popemobile during a visit to Rome for a conference for the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities last month. The conference included a papal audience. (Courtesy of Marywood University)
University of Scranton President Fr. John Marina SJ smiles as he talks about his visit to the Vatican in Scranton Hall on the campus in Scranton Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
University of Scranton President Fr. John Marina SJ holds the rosary decorated with Pope Leo XIV during his trip to the Vatican, while seated in his office with his dog Gracie in Scranton Hall on the campus in Scranton Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Rev. Joseph Marina, S.J., president of the University of Scranton, far right, poses in a selfie with David McCallum, executive director of Discerning Leadership, a training program for church leaders, left, and Linda LeMura, president of Le Moyne College in Buffalo, New York, on a visit to the Vatican last month where they had a papal audience with Pope Leo XIV. (Courtesy of the University of Scranton)
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University of Scranton President Fr. John Marina SJ discusses his experience meeting with Pope Leo XIV during his trip to the Vatican, while seated in his office with his dog Gracie in Scranton Hall on the campus in Scranton Wednesday, July 8, 2026. (SEAN MCKEAG / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)
Age of artificial intelligence
Leo emphasized the value of higher education in his meeting with Lori.
She met the pope June 3 during a private audience with about 20 other presidents of Catholic colleges and universities during an Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities conference. The association holds the conference every few years. Participants discuss issues facing higher education and meet with different departments in the Vatican.
The pope spoke for about 10 minutes about the Magnifica Humanitas, an encyclical he issued in May calling for the safeguarding of humanity amid artificial intelligence growth. Leo called for robust regulation of AI and for developers to work for the common good rather than profit.
Lori said his message resonated with her, as educators have an obligation to deal with artificial intelligence, which isn’t going away.
“I feel like it’s my duty to make sure that as a university we are reassuring these students that we are providing them with skills to allow them to use AI as a tool to help them, not to replace them,” Lori said.
She left the conference feeling Vatican officials understood the issues facing higher education, including the impending enrollment cliff, regulations on financial aid, student loans and the loss of federal funding, and the need to treat higher education as a business.
“They recognize what’s going on at higher ed and that we’re in a very challenging time,” Lori said.
Lori met and had a private audience with Leo’s predecessor, Pope Francis, two years ago during the same conference. The two popes have different personalities: Francis was more spontaneous in his address, while Leo was more reserved, she said.