The inaugural class was attended by the Archbishop Primate of Mexico, Cardinal Carlos Aguiar Retes, and the Archbishop of Washington, Wilton Gregory, who, together with the general director of the Latin American Academy of Catholic Leaders, José Antonio Rosas, the Fellow of the Board of Directors of the Catholic University of America, Dr. Enrique Segura, and the president of the University, Dr. Peter Kilpatrick, welcomed the new students.

The General Director of the Academy, Jose Antonio Rosas, said, “To build a bridge between North and South America… a bridge that unites everyone… reds as well as blues, lefts as well as rights. We want to forge an alliance between the sons of Abraham Lincoln and Simón Bolívar… an alliance between the North American eagle and the South American condor. We want to sign with our hearts the commitment where all Americans are one family, as Martin Luther King said, because all men and women are equal, because as Pope Francis says, we are all brothers (Fratelli Tutti) because we are all children of the same Father.”

The inaugural lectures were given by Cardinals Carlos Aguiar Retes and Wilton Gregory, who spoke on ‘The Church in the face of changing times’.

Cardinal Carlos Aguiar commented on the changing times: “We must interpret society, but not only in the light of sociology, but also in the light of the Gospel”.

Regarding the challenges facing Catholics in the contemporary world, Wilton Gregory, Archbishop of Washington, said: “No one alone can solve the great challenges facing the world, we need to work in community.

The diploma course will be held from July 23-30, 2022 on the campus of The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC.