At the XXVIII General Assembly of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), Fr. Ziad Maatouk, Secretary General and Vice Rector for Administration at Antonine University (UA), delivered a focused intervention on “The Challenge of Preserving Academic Freedom.” Lebanon served as the lens through which he offered a clear-eyed diagnosis of the interlocking pathologies that suffocate academic freedom in fragile environments.

Fr. Maatouk traced how an unbroken sequence of national crises, from political paralysis and economic collapse to the Beirut Port explosion and the persistent brain drain, has turned the university from a home of open questioning into a space of guarded caution. His analysis further shed light on the weight of community allegiances, the erosion of research through budgetary cuts, growing dependence on external funding, the absence of legal safeguards, and the lack of syndicates. These overlapping conditions, he argued, normalize self-censorship and a culture of institutional compliance. He called upon Catholic institutions to move from abstract endorsement to lived commitment, especially where the defense of academic freedom is most urgently needed.

Fr. Maatouk’s involvement formed part of IFCU’s centenary assembly, held from July 28 to August 1, 2025, at the Universidad del Valle de Atemejac in Mexico, under the theme “Catholic Universities as Choreographers of Knowledge.” The event centered on transformative priorities expected to influence institutional agendas for decades to come, such as academic diplomacy, the social impact of universities, strategic collaboration with the business world, the financing of Catholic universities in the Spanish-speaking world, the experience of faith and culture, and research ethics, among other key themes.

The assembly brought together rectors, vice rectors, religious authorities, researchers, diplomats, and international partners, all united by a shared purpose, responsibilities, and challenges. From UA, Fr. Maatouk was joined by Fr. Jean Al Alam, Vice Rector for Integral Human Development. The UA delegation chose to step in, take a stand, and carry forward its responsibility to defend the university in its mission to educate, contribute, question, and co-generate the collective reflection that will guide the next century of Catholic higher education. The assembly also opened doors to build ties with rectors from participating institutions and to propose concrete avenues for collaboration, especially in terms of mobility for instructors and students linked to joint research initiatives.