Last Thursday, January 29, the International Academy of Catholic Leaders (AILC) marked a milestone in its institutional structure with the first 2026 session of the International Academic Council. This meeting was not an ordinary gathering; it represented the formal beginning of a new strategic stage, grounded in clear statutes that define the functions and responsibilities of this vital body.
The session was chaired by Juan Pablo Faúndez Allier, President of the IAC, and was attended by Mario J. Paredes, President of the AILC Board of Directors, and Lara Bersano, Executive Director of the AILC, who accompanied this relaunch. The meeting underscored the identity of the IAC as a consultative and academic guidance body entrusted with ensuring that the Academy’s training programs remain fully consistent with the Magisterium of the Church and the teachings of the Roman Pontiff.
A legacy that continues and is renewed
This new stage is enriched by the incorporation of four distinguished members. Mariano de la Maza (Chile), the first President of the Council, returns to this body, along with Adriana Sirito (Argentina), one of its founding members. They are joined by Priest Luis Eduardo Martínez (Venezuela) and Priest Alejandro Ramos (Argentina), whose trajectories strengthen the Council’s regional and ecclesial vision.
This renewed team works under the guidance of Juan Pablo Faúndez, President of the IAC, and with the collaboration of Claudia Zarzosa, Academic Secretary, who together, from the Presidency, articulate, implement, and technically organize each step to facilitate the work of the Council. All the work and commitment of the Council arise from a deep vocation, motivated exclusively by love and dedication to the Church and her evangelizing mission. Through monthly 90-minute sessions, the IAC becomes a space for dialogue, collaboration, and communal discernment, inspired by the Global Compact on Education and the principles of synodality.
The engine of social thought
During the session, the 2026 Work Plan was presented, and in-depth discussion was held on the formative framework entitled “Natality: a world without children,” a topic of urgent relevance that reflects the Council’s commitment to addressing the challenges of our times.
As the “heart of the Academy,” the IAC bears the responsibility of periodically reviewing and updating the AILC’s educational model. The international projection of our institution depends, to a great extent, on the consistent and committed contribution of these council members, who ensure that the Academy continues to be a unique space for reflection and work on the Social Doctrine of the Church in the contemporary context.
With this strengthened structure, the AILC reaffirms its commitment to forming leaders capable of transforming reality in the light of faith and reason.
