Georgetown University conferred an honorary degree on a Catholic cardinal known for his focus on interreligious dialogue at a ceremony in Gaston Hall on Jan. 27.
Cardinal Timothy Radcliffe, O.P., known for his advocacy for human rights and disarmament throughout his time as a prelate, a highly-ranked clergy member in the Catholic Church, received the honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree. After leading the Dominican Order, a global Catholic religious order dedicated to preaching, education and theological scholarship, for nine years, Radcliffe became a cardinal in 2024.
In his speech accepting the degree, Radcliffe said he feels a shared sense of hope is essential to advancing the impact of education.
“Teaching is an act of love and compassion for those whose deepest thirst is for meaning,” Radcliffe said at the event. “Every college, every school, every university, should be a sort of seed bed of hope — all the ways in which we try to make sense of who we are and what we long for.”
Radcliffe, who visited Iraq in 2018 to support rebuilding efforts after the Islamic State group, a terrorist organization, lost control of the country, said hope can be found anywhere.
“I’ve been particularly struck by the hope-filled education in places that seem to be hopeless. My hopes have always been renewed when I’ve gone to places of suffering.”
Robert M. Groves, Georgetown’s interim president, said the university chose to honor Radcliffe because his work exemplifies Georgetown’s values of faith in action and interreligious dialogue.
“At Georgetown, we find inspiration in Cardinal Radcliffe’s ministry and service to accompany people as they seek and question their own lives — as they deepen their faith, as they strengthen their ability to engage with others and build relationships across the global church,” Groves said at the ceremony.
Radcliffe helped found the Franciscan-Dominican representative offices at the United Nations and founded Dominican Volunteers International, a missionary project of the Dominican Order.
Julia Lamm, a theology professor who spoke at the event, said the honorary degree acknowledges Radcliffe’s leadership in the church.
“Today Georgetown recognizes a scholar, church leader and global citizen who exemplifies what it means to live a faith based on love, hope and compassion,” Lamm said at the event.
“Throughout his service, Cardinal Radcliffe has been defined by his humility, his global worldview and his deep commitment to intellectual engagement with theology, the arts and the Christian faith in a secular age,” she added.
Isabelle Ashley (SFS ’27), who attended the ceremony, said Radcliffe’s acceptance speech resonated with her own faith experience, especially as it related to his involvement in Catholics for AIDS Prevention, a British ministry that advocates for implementing HIV prevention measures.
“Hearing Cardinal Radcliffe’s achievements, especially supporting LGBT Catholic communities and Catholics for AIDS Prevention, really highlighted to me that faith, specifically Catholicism, can exist and do good beyond the common assumptions made about the religion,” Ashley told The Hoya.
Radcliffe published an essay on LGBTQ+ Catholics in which he said he admired their resilience and valued their inclusion in the church, but spoke out against gay marriage in 2012.
Gabriella Jolly (MSB ’26), another attendee, said she enjoyed the ambience of the ceremony.
“The event felt like a true Georgetown experience — being in the beautiful Gaston Hall with a choir singing and graduates wearing colorful robes,” Jolly said. “It also felt like I was witnessing something historical.”
Radcliffe urged Georgetown students to seek out diversity of thought in their future careers.
“Often today we’re tempted to make friends with people who think like us, who live in the same bubble,” Radcliffe said. “But at Georgetown, I trust you teach people to reach out and engage with people who think differently so that you may learn together, to learn the pleasure of arguing.”
Radcliffe said he is grateful for the honorary degree because he hopes to encourage more students to engage in dialogue.
“I give thanks to God for Georgetown University,” Radcliffe said. “I’m proud now to be a graduate, and I trust it will be a seed bed of hope for the young who would give hope to us until finally meaningless violence is caught up in unending love.”