University President John J. DeGioia and Vice President for Mission and Ministry Fr. Kevin O’Brien, S.J., attended Mass with Pope Francis at the chapel of Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican on Friday morning.

Approximately 15 bishops and priests and 35 others attended the Mass, including DeGioia’s family and some recent Georgetown graduates. O’Brien concelebrated the Mass.

“We are deeply grateful to have had this opportunity for prayer and worship with our Holy Father,” DeGioia wrote on his Facebook page.

The Roman pontiff delivered a homily about the necessity of friendship for love.

After the Mass, the pope removed his vestments before quietly returning to the chapel to sit in one of the pews among the congregation to pray.

“Pope Francis is a man of deep humility and holiness,” O’Brien wrote in an email. “At the morning Mass, he acted as any good pastor would. As a priest and lifelong Catholic, I was humbled to be there and prayed for our Georgetown community and my family. Francis inspires me in my service.”

DeGioia and O’Brien greeted the first Jesuit pope after the Mass.

“The pope and I had a brief conversation about our shared Jesuit roots,” O’Brien wrote. “He asked for our prayers in his service to the Church and world.”

DeGioia and O’Brien had been in Rome for the week, during which they met with Superior General of the Society of Jesus Adolfo Nicolas, S.J. They also met with leadership of other offices, including the Pontifical Institute for Culture, the Pontifical Biblical Institute, the Pontifical Council for InterreligiousDialogue, the Pontifical Oriental Institute, the Congregation for Catholic Education and BellarminoCollege.