"A distinction that represents more people than the one who receives this diploma". It was with these words that Isabel Capeloa Gil, Rector of the Catholic University of Portugal, received yesterday, November 18, the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Institut Catholique de Paris (ICP), becoming the first woman to receive the distinction by this university.
In her speech, the Dean of the UCP thanked all those who contributed to her career: "the wonderful professors, the brilliant colleagues, my restless and insightful students and intellectual partners who transformed each crisis into a moment of introspection, which destabilised my comfort zone and forced me into critical reflection".
Under the theme "The restless university. Discourse on today's times", Isabel Capeloa Gil also mentioned that "in this time of anxiety, the academic institution cannot distance itself from a radical demand for ecological reconfiguration".
"The complex problems of our time cannot be solved in islands; they require the action of multiple protagonists, they require pluralism, dialogue and commitment", stressed the Rector of the UCP.
The solemn session, which took place in the auditorium of the ICP, on the Paris campus, included a Laudatio delivered by Cécile Coulangeon, Director of the Faculty of Letters of the ICP.
Michel Aupetit, Archbishop of Paris and Chancellor of ICP, Emmanuel Petit, Rector of ICP and M. Marc-Olivier Laurent, Chairman of the Board of Directors of this institution, also participated in the ceremony.
It is recalled that, in 2019, Isabel Capeloa Gil received the title of Doctor Honoris Causa from Boston College, in the USA. In the 156 years of the university, she was the first non-American speaker at a graduation ceremony (Commencement Speech).
Watch the ceremony here.
