“Tonight, a little piece of Lebanon has come together at the Collège de France.” With these words, Prof. François Boëdec, SJ, Rector of Saint Joseph University of Beirut (USJ), set the tone for the University’s seventh Honorary Doctorate Conferment Ceremony. Held on October 28, 2026, at the Collège de France, the ceremony brought together Lebanon and France, two countries bound by a long-shared history, to honor four distinguished figures whose ties to USJ have grown over the years through academic exchange, shared commitments, and friendship. The occasion was both solemn and deeply personal.

USJ conferred Honorary Doctorates in Humanities on Msgr. Pascal Gollnisch, former Director General of L’Œuvre d’Orient; H.E. Mr. Charles Personnaz, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Holy See and President of the Fonds pour les écoles d’Orient; Prof. Henry Laurens, Professor at the Collège de France and holder of the Chair of Contemporary History of the Arab World; and Prof. Joseph Maïla, Professor of Geopolitics at ESSEC Business School and former Rector of the Institut Catholique de Paris.

The ceremony opened with Vivaldi’s Gloria, followed by the national anthems of France and Lebanon and the USJ anthem, giving the occasion a strong symbolic significance from the outset. In her welcoming remarks, Prof. Nadine Riachi Haddad, Secretary-General of USJ, highlighted the historical, academic, cultural, and scientific ties that have connected the University to France since its founding.

Speaking of a Lebanon that “continues to fight and stand strong,” Prof. Boëdec placed the honorary distinction at the heart of the University’s mission: to continue believing in young people, encourage independent thought, advance education and research, and promote dialogue. By welcoming the four honorees into its academic community, USJ recognized individuals whose journeys embody “intellectual rigor, dialogue, respect for human dignity, and a commitment to the common good.” The ceremony was also an opportunity to honor four longstanding friends who have supported the University over the years and believed in its mission.

Four Journeys, Four Unique Connections to USJ

Msgr. Pascal Gollnisch’s honorary doctorate recognized his longstanding relationship with USJ and his years of dedication to Christians and institutions in the East. As Director General of L’Œuvre d’Orient from 2010 to 2025, he significantly expanded the organization’s work, supporting nearly 1,200 projects in education, healthcare, social services, emergency relief, culture, and heritage preservation. His tenure spanned the wars in Syria and Iraq, persecution, displacement, economic crises, and the Beirut port explosion. Throughout these challenges, his commitment to defending Christians in the East went hand in hand with his commitment to citizenship, pluralism, and the common good. In Lebanon, he stood by communities, schools, and institutions through some of their most difficult times. Yet as he accepted his honorary doctorate, his thoughts turned to the future: to a university committed to educating free-thinking individuals capable of serving society, and to a country in whose future he continues to believe. “We believe in Lebanon’s future,” he affirmed, adding, “We believe in Saint Joseph University and the role it plays in Lebanon and the entire Near East.”

The ceremony held a particularly personal meaning for H.E. Mr. Charles Personnaz. Receiving the distinction at the Collège de France, in the neighborhood where he grew up, made him feel, as he shared, that he had truly become part of the University and its “family spirit.” A historian, senior civil servant, and diplomat educated at Sciences Po, the Sorbonne, and ENA, he has made heritage preservation and the passing on of cultural heritage a central part of his career. Former Director of the Institut national du patrimoine and now French Ambassador to the Holy See, he played a leading role in establishing the Fonds pour les écoles d’Orient, which supports French-speaking schools in the Middle East and helps preserve spaces for education, pluralism, and coexistence. In Lebanon, he has supported several USJ projects, from manuscript restoration and the training of conservators and archivists to the reconstruction of the Bibliothèque Orientale (Oriental Library) following the Beirut port explosion. To him, USJ’s importance extends far beyond Lebanon’s borders. It is “a resource that Lebanon offers beyond itself, beyond its borders, and beyond its difficulties.” He ultimately described the University in a single word: “a gift” to Lebanon, the Middle East, and France.

The honorary doctorate felt like a reunion for Prof. Henry Laurens. Speaking of the “depth” of his emotion, the historian described the gathering at the Collège de France as a meeting of “his two worlds.” Widely regarded as one of the foremost contemporary historians of the Arab world, he has held the Chair of Contemporary History of the Arab World at the Collège de France since 2003. His research, particularly on relations between the Arab East and the West, seeks to capture the complexity of historical events and place them in their broader historical context. Among his many publications, the five-volume La Question de Palestine stands out as a major work, earning him the Académie française’s Grand Prix Gobert in 2016. His relationship with USJ dates back to the 1990s, when he began teaching and participating in numerous seminars at the University. He also helped establish the partnership agreement between USJ and the Collège de France in 2006. During the ceremony, he fondly recalled the people, encounters, and friendships that have shaped this shared history. He ended his tribute with a few simple words that captured decades of close ties: “Lebanon is my second homeland, and Saint Joseph University is my second university.”

In honoring Prof. Joseph Maïla, USJ celebrated one of its own. A Franco-Lebanese academic specializing in philosophy, political science, international relations, geopolitics, and mediation, he has built a career in which academic thought and practical engagement have always gone hand in hand. As former Rector of the Institut Catholique de Paris, he founded the Institut de formation à la médiation et à la négociation (IFOMENE). He has also held senior positions at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and contributed to interreligious dialogue, notably as a member and spokesperson of the Catholic delegation at the first Catholic-Muslim Forum held in Rome in 2008. But his journey began at USJ, where he was a student, instructor, Head of department, Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, and later a member of the University’s Strategic Board. Accepting the distinction, he expressed his deep gratitude to his Alma Mater. “What I have been able to give is little compared to what I have received,” he said with emotion. He also paid tribute to the former Rectors who had shaped his journey, describing them as “builders,” “guides of hope and intelligence,” and “watchmen awaiting a dawn that is forever hoped for,” who had led the University through wars and hardship.

Bonds That Stand the Test of Time

Beyond the four remarkable journeys being celebrated, the ceremony at the Collège de France told a broader story of loyalty and lasting connections. It was a tribute to those who have stood by USJ over the years, to a University that continues to stand strong despite the crises it has faced, and to the enduring relationship between Lebanon and France, which remains a source of connection, shared knowledge, and hope.

The presentation of the honors added another layer of meaning to the occasion. H.E. Mr. Charles Personnaz, Prof. Henry Laurens, and Prof. Joseph Maïla also received USJ’s 150th Anniversary Medal. Msgr. Pascal Gollnisch, who had previously received the medal, was presented with a painting by Fr. Joseph Delore depicting Mount Lebanon as seen from the Jesuit residence in Ghazir. Prof. Boëdec also presented the USJ Medal to Mr. Thomas Römer, Administrator of the Collège de France,as a gesture of gratitude for hosting the ceremony.

In this setting dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge, the heartfelt nature of the ceremony gave the academic distinction even greater meaning. As Prof. Boëdec reminded those gathered, welcoming these four distinguished figures into the USJ community was about more than recognizing their remarkable achievements. It was also a celebration of “the pursuit of truth, the service of peace, respect for living traditions, and the determination to build bridges where divisions threaten to take hold.”

Also read: جامعة القدّيس يوسف في بيروت تمنح أربع شهادات دكتوراه فخريّة في الكوليج دو فرانس

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