With the University of Santo Tomas on the executive board, the Association of Southeast and East Asian Catholic Colleges and Universities (ASEACCU) held its 28th conference with the theme "Memory and Identity" from 23 to 27 August in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
"I have always believed that we have to work as one team in different specialties collaborating together, exchanging knowledge and experiences, ASEACCU members working together as a Catholic Identity in higher education," Bishop Olivier Schmitthaeusler, founder and chancellor of the St. Paul Institute, Cambodia, said.
UST Rector Very Rev. Fr. Richard Ang, O.P., Ph.D., in his welcome remarks, highlighted that the event theme is inspired by the last book of St. John Paul II, a Pope well-loved in Asia.
"The Pontiff's reflections on the most challenging issues and events of his period revealed his intellectual and spiritual journey and pastoral experience," Fr. Ang said.
The conference featured executive meetings, historical and philosophical lectures, intercultural dialogues, interfaith prayers, and field exposure to important sites in Cambodia. Isabel Capeloa Gil, president of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) and rector of the Catholic University of Portugal, served as keynote speaker.
Present at the 28th ASEACCU Conference are representatives from Catholic universities and colleges from Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, China, Philippines, and Thailand.
