A top Vatican official encouraged Notre Dame’s graduates to become “leaders of hope.”
Sister Raffaella Petrini, president of the Pontifical Commission and Governorate of Vatican City State, told the Class of 2026 to build bridges and focus on the common good. "You will be witnesses of hope if you nurture a genuine desire to alleviate poverty, injustice and oppression that burden the lives of so many in material and immaterial forms," Sister Petrini said.
She was the principal speaker at Sunday’s commencement ceremony.
Similarly, Special Olympics Chairman Timothy Shriver urged graduates to see the inherent worth in each person, despite intense divisions. "Nothing about polarization can’t be overcome by treating each other with dignity, and we can change the way we treat each other, no matter how far apart we’ve grown," Shriver said during Sunday's ceremony.
He was this year’s recipient of the Laetare Medal, the university’s highest honor for American Catholics.
Meanwhile, valedictorian Martin Soros recalled teaming up with classmates this past January to build St. Olaf’s ice chapel, where thousands gathered for an outdoor Mass. "In this moment, we discovered that we had built more than just a structure," Soros said. "Together, we had built a community."
Soros encouraged his classmates to spread the warmth they’ve found at Notre Dame into the world.
The university says it conferred 3,335 degrees over the course of the weekend.
The University of Notre Dame is a financial supporter of WVPE.
