Staff of the Laudato Si’ Center and the Catholic University of Croatia Visit Pázmány Péter Catholic University in Budapest

As part of the Erasmus+ programme, representatives of the Laudato Si’ Center for Christian Responsibility and Care for Creation—Associate Professor Zoran Turza, PhD, project associate Gabrijela Bajić, MA in Sociology, and Žanina Žigo, PhD, Head of the Department for Administrative Support of Professional Development Programmes—visited Pázmány Péter Catholic University (Pázmány Péter Katolikus Egyetem) in Budapest from 25 to 28 June 2025.

During their visit, the delegation from the Catholic University of Croatia met with several colleagues and partners at Pázmány Péter Catholic University. They visited the International Relations Office, the Research Institute for the Integrity of Creation, the John Paul II University Centre, and the Deák Ferenc Continuing Education Centre (Deák Ferenc Továbbképző Intézet).

At the International Relations Office, the hosts were Bence Ákos Tamassy, Head of the Office, and Valéria Kakab-Kuba, Erasmus Coordinator. The Croatian delegation learned about the organisational structure of the office, its international cooperation development processes, and models of funding for educational programmes.

A key highlight of the visit was the meeting at the Research Institute for the Integrity of Creation, where they met with Professor Lóránd István Ujházi, PhD, Head of the Institute, his deputy Brigitta Pulay, PhD, and researcher Timea Zsivity, an expert in the socio-economic and political dynamics of the Western Balkans. Zsivity is affiliated with the European Strategy Research Institute at Ludovika University of Public Service (Nemzeti Közszolgálati Egyetem – Ludovika). The meeting involved an exchange of experiences between the two institutions, a presentation of research priorities, and an exploration of opportunities for enhanced and continued collaboration.

In addition, Žanina Žigo, PhD, held a meeting with Marta Szalai, PhD, Head of the Deák Ferenc Centre. Their discussion focused on the structure and models of lifelong learning programmes at Pázmány Péter Catholic University, offered in both Hungarian and English, including the planning, approval, and implementation procedures for such programmes.

All meetings were held in an exceptionally encouraging and collaborative atmosphere. The visit laid the foundation for further cooperation and the development of joint projects in the spirit of promoting integral ecology and Christian responsibility for creation, with particular emphasis on strengthening collaboration between the two centres.