A new phase in which networking will be encouraged

After a mass presided over by the Cardinal Archbishop of Madrid, the academic ceremony began with an overview of the activities carried out at the university during the 2023-2024 academic year by the Vice Rector for Institutional Relations and Registrar, Federico de Montalvo. Then, the vice-rector read out the appointment of the new rector, Antonio Allende, SJ, to whom the Father General handed over the rector's attributes.

The outgoing rector, Enrique Sanz, SJ, was the first to speak to address those present acknowledging that “over these last years you have taken care of the university and its rector with trust, patience, understanding, hope and forgiveness”.

The concept of loyalty, at the basis of the Ignatian form of governance, was one of the central themes of Sanz's speech: “I would like to thank many of you for the loyalty that you have shown to the rector of Comillas and to the university itself. In many ways and forms, and in harmony with the biblical tradition, you have demonstrated in the university, the place of wisdom par excellence, that loyalty to both is probably the most important value to which your work and your university activity can lead you, and that this value can even be greater than wisdom”, he pointed out.

Finally, he dedicated some heartfelt words of appreciation to the members of the government team, to all the PAS and PDI, and to all the sister institutions of Comillas, a university which, he pointed out, is in very good shape. “This allows us to look to the future with optimism, as I am sure that Rector Allende will steer this ship with the virtues that I have already pointed out about him and with others that some of you know well”, he concluded.

Moving forward with coherence and cohesion

The incoming Rector, Antonio Allende, SJ, began his speech by saying that he was “entrusted with the task of caring for and sustaining a thriving, lively, consolidated institution of proven quality that has served society and the Church for 120 years”. He also addressed a few words of gratitude to the outgoing Rector “who throughout his years of service in this institution has contributed tirelessly, with his work and vision, to keep making Comillas a university reference in the Spanish system, and very well recognised internationally”.

Allende dedicated a few minutes of his speech to recognising the specific contribution that the Jesuits make to the university. “The Society of Jesus has found in the university a formidable space to put into practice the mission it has received, inspired by the Gospel, to promote social justice and ecological sustainability through dialogue with cultures and religions”, he said, echoing the words of the Superior General of the Society of Jesus and Grand Chancellor of the university, Arturo Sosa, SJ, who was at the table. 

Allende then outlined the main lines of work that have guided and will continue to guide the university, including research, training, transfer and service to society and the Church, or identity and mission. "In my life, in which the Society of Jesus has placed me at the head of various institutions, I have learned that the path to success is both the internal and external work of unity of spirit, networks, and alignment with the mission of the Society. It is necessary to adapt our governance and our decision making in order to advance in this dimension and the coherence of our discourse with our actions," he said.

To conclude, he listed some of the major challenges the university faces, among which he highlighted the attraction and retention of national and international talent, the increase in the number of universities in Madrid, the firm commitment to entrepreneurship and the challenge posed by the arrival of Artificial Intelligence: "The university can and must help the teaching staff, the administration and services staff and students in their interaction with AI. There are technical, ethical, legal and social issues that require rigorous answers on our part, to use it and to train ourselves and others in its use.

Building networks

The Superior General of the Society of Jesus and Grand Chancellor of the University, Arturo Sosa, SJ, was in charge of closing the ceremony. He began his speech by thanking the outgoing rector "for his work and very complete personal dedication during these years in which he has demonstrated his total availability to the task entrusted to him". He then addressed the new Rector, Antonio Allende, SJ, to express his gratitude for his availability and "for taking on this challenge and placing his leadership skills at the service of a complex and challenging apostolic institution. I am sure that his personal gifts, his experience and broad apostolic vision will be a rich contribution to the life and development of the Universidad Pontificia Comillas".

The Superior General of the Society of Jesus took the opportunity to share some reflections on the identity of the universities entrusted to the Society of Jesus. Quoting Fathers Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, Diego Ledesma and Ignacio Ellacuría, he affirmed: "The institution and the university mission is nothing other than understanding it as an apostolate. In this sense, we see how the Universidad Pontificia Comillas has continuously thought of itself throughout its history, not only as a centre of high academic quality and prestige, but also as a true apostolate that wants to carry forward the mission of the Society of Jesus in all its richness".

In conclusion, Father Sosa noted: "The university mission today demands of each institution to be active and constructive actors in the creation of networks in the different areas of the life of the Society of Jesus (UNIJES, Kircher Network, IAJU, as well as intersectoral networks...). Building a network nowadays is not a luxury or a waste of generosity, but a response to the reality we want to transform".