On October 18, 2024, the annual gathering of CARF benefactors – Centro Académico Romano Fundación – was once again held at our University. This Spanish foundation, established in 1989, makes it possible each year for dozens of seminarians and priests from around the world to receive their education at the ecclesiastical schools of the University of Navarra and the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
CARF, supported by thousands of donors throughout Spain, has built an extensive network across the Iberian Peninsula over the years. As part of this effort, it organizes an annual meeting at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross. This day of encounter and formation allows benefactors to meet some of the students they support, share a meal with them, visit the University, and attend lectures specifically prepared for them by professors or prominent figures from the academic, cultural, or communication sectors.
This year’s lectures were given by Javier Martínez Brocal, a Vatican correspondent in Rome for the Spanish newspaper ABC, and Gema Bellido, from the School of Institutional Communication at our University.
During their stay in Rome, the CARF benefactors also had the opportunity to visit the Sedes Sapientiae International Seminary, the Tiberino Priestly College, and the Vatican Museums, accompanied by some of our students. They also participated in the Papal Audience and the Angelus with the Pope.
Gerardo Ferrara
