On 23rd of May 2025. the Pakistani Christian human rights activist Joel Amir Sahotra visited Dr. Bence Ákos TAMÁSSY, Head of Central Office for Foreign Affairs, in the company of his wife and our collegaue Dóra Günsberger, who is currenty working on assignment at the Embassy of Pakistan. Joel Amir Sahotra is the head of the Peter John Sahotra Foundation, based in Faisalabad, which is decicated to the socio-economic development of the Christian community in Pakistan, with whom the Embassy in Islamabad has maintained an excellent relationship for many years. Sahotra is a highly respected and influential member of the Christian community in Pakistan, with an extremely wide network of contact and he regularly participates in international events -among others, he was present at the Washington  Prayer Breakfast, where he also met with Secretary of State Tristan Azbej. The relationship has existed ever since: he also actively participated in the organization of the Secretary of State's visit  to Pakistan in April 2025. Sahotra was previously a member of parliament and plans to continue his political career in the future. The purpose of his visit to Hungary is to explore the possibility of educational cooperation  and he expressed his gratitude for Hungary's support for the persecuted Christian community in Pakistan.

We are presenting the international activities, mobility and scholarship programs of Pázmány Péter Catholic University in a two-part interview series. This time, Dr. Bence Tamássy, Head of the Central Office for Foreign Affairs, will present the mobility programs, institutional and other international cooperations and activities. What are the main tasks of the Central Office for Foreign Affairs? The main role of the Central Office for Foreign Affairs (KKO) is to perform tasks related to the international affairs and activities of the University at a central level. This includes developing the internationalization strategy of the entire University, monitoring and assisting in its implementation, and centrally coordinating international relations. In addition, we are responsible for submitting international applications and managing international mobility programs at the university level. We participate in building the University's international relations, and together with the Vice-Rector for Foreign Affairs and Scientific Management, we represent the University in International Organizations. However, perhaps our most visible and important task for the students is the coordination of international mobility programs. Of course, the management of the Erasmus+ program is the first to be mentioned, but in addition to this, we are also responsible for the coordination of several other programs with international relevance, such as the CEEPUS program, the Stipendium Hungaricum Program, the Scholarship Program for Christian Young People and the Hungarian Diaspora Scholarship Program, as well as the KA 220 Higher Education Strategic Partnerships, the Hubert-Curien Balaton Program and the Makovecz Scholarship Program. In all of these cases, it can generally be said that the implementation of mobilities takes place at the faculty level, in the Faculties’ International Relations Departments. We provide the institutional-level administration of these programs. In addition to these everyday tasks, the Central Office for Foreign Affairs plays a major role in introducing and promoting our University abroad, and we are also responsible for managing information brochures in English and the English-language website. What role does the Office play in building the university's international relations? It plays both an initiating and coordinating role. In many cases, we are the initiator of a new cooperation, while at other times, based on the needs and requests of the Faculties, we coordinate the development of international relations, support and help the Faculties to achieve their goals. In addition, we negotiate with the Tempus Public Foundation, which is responsible for the coordination of most international programs in Hungary, and we try to achieve the best possible opportunities for the university. What kind of cooperation does the university have with foreign institutions, partner universities, and organizations? Our university has effective cooperation agreements with numerous foreign partner universities. International cooperation between two universities usually begins with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), which can later be continued in further, specific forms of cooperation (joint research, joint publication, mutual mobilities, etc.) on this contractual basis. These inter-institutional cooperations usually enable mutual student and staff exchanges and are a starting point for later cooperations. The cooperation within the already mentioned international mobility programs is also important. At the university level, we have almost 200 partner universities within Europe in the framework of the Erasmus+ program alone, as well as partners from nearly 20 countries outside Europe in the Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility Program. Among the partner university cooperations, our participation in the CEEPUS mobility program is also significant. Here, the participating universities create networks - in the 2024/25 academic year, our university is a member of 5 CEEPUS networks, within which we are in contact with a total of about 54 partner universities.  A high priority in our work is the management of the Stipendium Hungaricum, and the Diaspora scholarship programs, and, as a Catholic university, the Scholarship Program for Christian Young People. We maintain a close cooperation with the Hungarian organizations responsible for the implementation of these scholarship programs (TPF Study in Hungary Directorate and Hungary Helps Agency). Within the framework of the aforementioned scholarship programs, a large number of foreign students begin their studies in our English-language programmes every year, so maintaining daily contact with these organizations is very important in the implementation and successful management of these programs. What is the priority in selecting new international partners? We have previously examined which geographical regions are worth targeting at the University level, whether for the purpose of searching for new partners, implementing mobility programs or recruiting students. During the decision, we also took into account the existing relationships and needs of individual faculties, lecturers, and researchers for various partnerships. Thus, a decision was made to target, among othes, the Central Asian region. One of the implementations of this decision was the participation in study fairs in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as the agreement concluded with the most significant University in Kyrgyzstan, the Kyrgyz-Turkish Manas University. Of course, strengthening Catholic partnerships is a very important priority for our University. Almost all of our most significant university partners are Catholic institutions with a long history, which, in addition to PPKE, are also members of Catholic university organizations. The common values ​​already create a foundation on which successful professional cooperation can be built in the future. What international mobility programs are available for the students and staff of the University? As a church-run university, our University can continue to be part of the opportunities provided by the Erasmus+ Program, so of course this should be mentioned first among the available mobility programs. For our students, this usually means a semester of study abroad, but in the case of a fall semester trip, it is possible to request an extension for the spring semester as well. We often hear about how much administration and paperwork an Erasmus application involves. At Pázmány, the entire application process takes place on an online platform, so it can be handled very conveniently and quickly, which is also a significant relief for our students. In addition to academic mobility, our students can also apply for traineeship mobility, for which they can freely choose a host institution from the countries participating in the Erasmus Program. Professional internship mobility can also be done for up to 12 months after graduation. Shorter types of mobility are also available in the Erasmus program, so that those who do not feel comfortable spending a full semester abroad, can also travel. Our lecturers can also participate in Erasmus mobility for teaching purposes, and PPKE's non-teaching staff also have the opportunity to join the Erasmus program. They can travel not only to a partner university, but also to any institution freely chosen by the them, and the purpose of the mobility can be varied: staff week participation, language course participation, partner visit, job shadowing. For example, one-week English language courses are particularly popular among our employees. The opportunities provided by Erasmus are very significant, but there are also several other mobility programs available, what are they? CEEPUS (Central European Exchange Program for University Studies) is a multilateral exchange program created for Central European universities. The program allows higher education institutions in the participating countries to host guest teachers, exchange students, and organize language and professional courses and summer schools. This program is perhaps less well-known than Erasmus, but it is a very good opportunity if someone wants to teach or study in Eastern, Central European or Balkan countries. An other opportunity is the Makovecz Program, launched in 2016, which is a program announced every year by the Ministry of Culture and Innovation (KIM), and aims to implement mutual student and teacher mobilities between Hungarian universities and foreign higher education institutions that provide education in Hungarian language. Students have the opportunity to pursue a 1-5-month study mobility at our partner universities abroad. What are the conditions for applying for Erasmus+ or other mobility programs? In the case of all the above-mentioned mobility programs, the calls for applications are published by the International Offices of each Faculty, so every student and teacher can submit an application to the call of their own Faculty and inquire about the opportunities with the staff of the Faculties’ International Offices. The opportunities that can be applied for, the list of partners, the application requirements, and the documents to be submitted may differ by faculty and mobility program, so it is worth finding out more about them on the website. Where can students turn to with questions about organizing studies or internships abroad? International mobility programs operate in a decentralized manner at our university, meaning that the application of outgoing students, the selection of winners, and the administrative management of mobility are the responsibility of the Faculties’ International Offices. Erasmus coordinators appointed by each faculty can help the applying students. All outgoing students can contact them in person, by email or by phone, for example, regarding foreign course registration or other administrative matters. Are there any international scholarships that are specifically available to Pázmány students? Our partner universities and the Catholic university organizations of which we are members, regularly offer mobility opportunities specifically for Pázmány students and colleagues. These include full-semester mobilities, but also shorter-term summer schools, intensive courses or conferences. We always advertise these opportunities among our students and professors. A good example of the opportunities offered by Catholic university organizations is that in 2023, we were able to participate in a week-long leadership training with a colleague from the Faculty of Law, at the University of Notre Dame in the USA. And – as Vice-Rector Ft. Dr. Krisztián Vincze mentioned earlier – this summer, three of our colleagues from Pázmány will travel to Rome for a women's leadership training. All of this was made possible through the CUP (Catholic Universities Partnership) relations. Or I could also mention that last year, two of our students participated in a summer university in Madrid, completely free of charge, thanks to these opportunities.  All of this shows that these are not collaborations existing just on paper, but truly living ones, from which our students and teachers can also benefit. What are the most popular destinations for outgoing students? The most popular destinations for our students are France, Germany, Spain, Portugal and Italy. In addition, Central and Eastern European countries and Romania are also popular destinations for shorter-term mobility. Our teachers usually go to partners with whom they have long-standing relationships, such as universities in Belgium, Poland, the Czech Republic and Italy. During staff mobility, our colleagues are happy to visit partner universities, but language course participation is also very popular. The most popular destinations for English language courses are Malta, Ireland and the United Kingdom, where employees can develop their language skills in a native-speaking environment.   When it comes to mobility programs, we primarily think of Hungarian students traveling to foreign universities for shorter or longer periods. But this also happens the other way around, PPKE also accepts foreign students. In this regard, it is important to distinguish between degree-seeking students studying at full-time degree programs here and the part-time students. The majority of full-time students are students with Stipendium Hungaricum (SH), Diaspora and Christian Young People’s scholarships, as well as a small number of self-financed foreign students. Depending on their program, they study here for two to three years and they live in Hungary during their studies. Part-time students usually come for only one semester, most of them of course in the Erasmus Program, but a small number also come for shorter mobilities in the CEEPUS Program. This way, a very diverse international student community can develop in every Faculty and in every semester. The mentors who help foreign students during their stay here, as well as the faculty's international offices, try to help our foreign students integrate with various programs. They have already organized joint excursions, study trips, intercultural evenings, and dance halls for students. These events not only help our international students feel more at home here, but also provide an opportunity to build relationships between them and the Hungarian students. How many foreign students study at the university in a semester, and from which countries do they come? There is always a fluctuation in the number of Erasmus students, with more students always arriving in the fall semester than in the spring semester. At the university level, the number of foreign students studying with us under Erasmus is around 160 in the fall semester, while in the spring semester it is around 90. Including full-time students, the number of international students studying at PPKE in a semester can be estimated at around 350-400. In terms of sending countries, a large proportion of students in the Erasmus program come from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany, the countries with which we have the most partner university realtions in the program. The largest number of students in the SH program come to us from Syria, and in the Scholarship for Christian Young People Program, a large number of Armenian students study at Pázmány, thanks to our University's excellent Armenian partnerships. How would you like to further develop and strengthen the international presence of the university?  It is definitely an important goal to strengthen the university's international student community so that even more international students choose our university. We have already taken important steps to achieve this, but in the future we clearly want to strengthen recruitment activities among foreign students. In addition, strengthening international marketing activities is also an important goal so that our students and prospective students can encounter more and more English-language content not only on our website but also on social media. An encouraging process has started, of which there are already visible signs, and we would like to strengthen this further in the near future. What challenges does the Office face in strengthening international relations? Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is to coordinate the different needs of the Faculties. The four Faculties of the University have different professional and training profiles, so it is often a challenge to be able to assess the needs, priorities and goals of each Faculty regarding its international activities and to coordinate them. We must pay attention to these differences when developing the University's unified internationalization strategy. The world has accelerated, needs are changing, and therefore it is a challenge to build deep relationships, it is difficult to take the roots deeper than the surface, so that there are partner universities with whom we are connected on deeper lines. There are European initiatives for this, as an example I would mention the joint master's degree program of our Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics with a French and a Spanish partner university. At the same time, Catholic university networks and alliances help in achieving deeper relationships. In today's world, interstate and political relations can change quickly, so the kind of permanence that does not depend on individuals or political sympathies, but is based on a common set of values, worth more. Values such as what connects Catholic universities. I would highlight the importance of church diplomacy and science diplomacy, whether with the Holy See, various Catholic organizations or representatives of other Christian churches. A good example of this is the Armenian relationship mentioned above, which existed even when interstate relations between Hungary and Armenia were at their lowest point.

We present the international activities, mobility and scholarship programs of Pázmány Péter Catholic University in a two-part interview series. In the first part, Ft. Dr. Krisztián Vincze, Vice-Rector for Foreign Affairs and Scientific Management, talks about the university's foreign affairs activities, while in the second part, Dr. Bence Ákos Tamássy, Head of the Central Office for Foreign Affairs, presents the mobility programs, institutional and other international cooperations and activities of our University.   How do the internationalization activities of Catholic universities contribute to the life, mission and tasks of the Catholic Church? In 1990, Pope Saint John Paul II issued his apostolic instruction on Catholic universities, entitled Ex corde Ecclesiae. This document sets out the fundamental identity of Catholic universities, outlines their objectives and discusses the role of universities in the relationship between the Church and society, also addressing the importance and nature of university pastoral care. Several points in this document emphasize the international and internationalization activities of Catholic universities. The complex problems are the starting point, affecting many dimensions of human life and society, to the solution of which, Catholic universities contribute also through international cooperation (cf. Ex corde Ecclesiae, 35). The efficiency of an institution and its achievements in education and research are enhanced by cooperation that is expressed in international contexts, surrounded and supported by the activities of partner universities. Ex corde Ecclesiae states that Catholic universities, as institutions born from the “heart of the Church”, have a responsibility for integrating knowledge from different disciplines that are active in the search for truth, and for keeping in mind the dialogue between faith and reason, and the ethical aspects of knowledge and theological perspectives. The existing international networks of PPKE, in which collaborations with other universities, joint projects, educational and research cooperations take place, are an indispensable forum for us to perform these responsible tasks. What is the basis for PPKE's internationalization activities? PPKE has two documents, in the light of which internationalization processes are founded. The document “The mission of the university in the field of internationalization” formulates guidelines, designates priority cooperation regions, and records the most important university alliances and partnerships. The other document is the related Internationalization Plan, which sets out the strategic goals, relevant activities, their participants and their responsibilities, as well as the feedback and indicator measurement processes over a specific time horizon. Based these, the direction and the framework of the university's internationalization processes are determined.   The two documents mentioned above, which were adopted by the University Council in 2023, provide the framework for all activities. We have 4 different faculties, the Canon Law Postgraduate Institute and there is also the Saint John Paul II Pope Research Center – as a result, the activities are very diverse, but these documents have created a central guideline at the management level, applicable to the entire university. Our goal in creating them was to unite the faculties and have a common vision of our foreign affairs activities.   What kind of cooperation does the university have with foreign Catholic organizations and university associations? Pázmány Péter Catholic University is a member of several international organizations. One of the most important of them is FUCE, the Federation of European Catholic Universities, which was established in 1991 with the conviction that it would network Catholic universities in Europe and currently has more than 50 members. A General Assembly is held annually, at which PPKE is also represented. Our university is also a member of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), which aims to strengthen ties between Catholic universities, represent institutions, and maintain relations with other international organizations. The organization also conducts research and coordinates cooperation between Catholic universities. IFCU currently has more than 226 Catholic higher education institutions as members. Our university is also an active participant in the Catholic Universities Partnership (CUP). This cooperation was established at the initiative of the Nanovic Institute for European Studies at the University of Notre Dame in the United States, and its main focus is the development of Catholic higher education and civil society in post-communist Europe. Several important partner universities of our university from the Eastern and Central European region participate in this cooperation: the John Paul II Catholic University in Lublin, the Catholic University in Ružomberok from Slovakia, the Catholic University of Croatia in Zagreb, and the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv, as well as the Sulkhan-Saba Orbeliani University in Tbilisi, Georgia. We are regularly represented at the meeting of the Partnership and our lecturers have also contributed to the professional program of the CUP conferences on several occasions. In our collaborations, we strive for focused, diverse, high-quality and deep relationships: this means student exchanges, online courses, jointly edited publications, and also joint training programs (joint degrees). As an example, we gave advice and ideas for the launching of the legal training at the Catholic University of Croatia in Zagreb within the framework of the CUP partnership. Our CUP meeting in Zagreb last year was a great success, seven Hungarian representatives traveled to the Croatian capital, from minor priests to junior and senior lecturers to the university management. Some of our collaborations are able to have an impact on the entire university, affecting the lives of our students, staff and lecturers alike. The aforementioned CUP Partnership is offering training for women leaders in Rome this summer, to which staff from Pázmány are also traveling.   What common themes can you think about, what common projects can you work on together with these organizations? What are the common challenges that you have to face? In Catholic university associations and partnerships, we share the same experiences and challenges. Given the secularized European environment, given the serious ethical questions that define the era, we try to think about these together. We try to respond to contemporary problems and challenges along the lines of a common Christian perspective, and these networks provide space for this. We try to use international relations to truly focus on the issues of today's world, and to provide our students with usable, authentic knowledge that is embedded in the Christian worldview. I believe this is the essence of our international activity: we must support and help each other in the era of the 4th industrial revolution and the era of artificial intelligence affecting everything. In addition to all of this, we consider it important to express solidarity, for example, there was an example of this in connection with the earthquake in Syria, and we also visited the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Artificial intelligence is one of the most current topics today: what are its dangers, and what are the possibilities we can use it for? The Holy See is also actively dealing with this topic, as shown by the fact that at the end of January, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith and the Dicastery for Culture and Education jointly published a document on AI. Antiqua et Nova also takes a look at the advantages of artificial intelligence, for example in medicine, the economy, education, and society, and what are its potential dangers in the same areas. I believe that it is precisely the task of Catholic universities to ensure that these advantages and potential dangers become increasingly visible and are channeled into the appropriate channels.   What responsibility does a Catholic university have in the secularized society of the 21st century?  Unfortunately, Christianity is not self-evident in the secularized European society, so it is our fundamental responsibility to make the Christian worldview better known to our Hungarian and foreign students, and to present the aspects of Christianity that deeply define the European culture. The Christian worldview has its own logic, and we invite our university students, regardless of their degree, to discover it. For example, someone who studies law will sometimes encounter references to the Christian view of man in connection with legal principles, while someone who studies humanities often has the European Christian culture and its history as the relevant coordinating system of thought. I consider it very important to know and be able to explain the Christian perspective well, as well as the past Christian inspiration of various sciences. It is a huge thing that a student here, whether majoring in law or studying to be a computer science engineer, hears about the social teaching of the Church, can get to know the content of the Bible, and the fundamental principles of the Catholic faith.   Which regions are particularly important to Pázmány?  In addition to the European and Central European regions, the Caucasus: Armenia and Georgia, and the Christian communities of the Middle East have a great importance to us. Our Armenian relations are particularly important and valuable, next year the Armenian Department at our Faculty of Humanities will be ten years old, as well as its long-lasting relationship with the Armenian State Pedagogical University (ASPU) in Yerevan. The initiative, which started ten years ago, has expanded over the years, and we now accept young people - also from Armenia - for BA, MA, and doctoral training in English with an Armenian specialization in our History program. The Scholarship Program for Christian Young People and the Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Program are also available in our case, so a significant number of Armenian students can study with us. It is important to mention that in December of 2024, a Hungarian Cultural Center opened in Yerevan, in partnership with the Armenian university and Pázmány. Within its framework, Armenians can learn Hungarian and get to know the Hungarian culture. We also have an active relationship with the Armenian Apostolic Church, and we can learn a lot from this Christian community. It is also important to emphasize that while diplomatic relations between the two countries were suspended for years, our relationship was actually continuous thanks to scientific diplomacy, and this was confirmed when the President of the Armenian Republic visited our country and our University in February 2024 after the restoration of state relations. Our scientific diplomacy and church diplomacy activities have yielded important results that extend to many countries and communities, and we naturally intend to remain active at these levels. One important part of our foreign affairs activities is precisely the representation of the institution, as a result of which we are not only in contact with the universities themselves, but also with the maintaining churches, dioceses and various related church figures.    Why do you think the mobility opportunities offered at Pázmány University are important, and why are they worth taking advantage of?   Personally, I think it is important that participants - whether they are university colleagues, students or lecturers – can develop a lot during mobility; in a foreign university environment, one can learn to behave comfortably even amidst the challenges of a foreign place, communication in a foreign language, and initially unknown people. For a lecturer, it is a great success to be able to present a complete course in a foreign language. For young university students, the world often opens up through the few-month Erasmus programs, their foreign language competence develops to a unique extent during the time spent in the given language community, and in addition to the valuable university studies, they obviously absorb the culture of a new country, and can make friendships and potential future professional connections. One of the great results of our colleagues’ mobility is usually the sharing of good practices and getting to know the similar or different organizational structures of other universities. Pázmány offers a variety of mobility options, making it a worthwhile experience for every student, teacher and colleague at Pázmány.

„Representatives of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPKE) participated at the Edu Fair educational exhibitions organized by the Begin Group in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. At the event, the staff of the Central Office for Foreign Affairs and the International Offices of the ITK and BTK participated, together with representatives of several Hungarian and foreign universities, in order to promote Hungarian higher education and especially our university to interested students. The exhibition in Almaty (Kazahstan), at the Rixos Almaty Hotel, was held with great interest: a total of 1,231 visitors visited the event, where the PPKE booth was also very popular. The visitors were particularly interested in Pázmány’s training courses, and many wanted to study in Hungary due to their personal or cultural ties. The fair held in Bishkek, at the Novotel Hotel, was also successful, with a total of 908 participants. Here too, many people asked about PPKE's BTK and ITK study programme offers, as well as about higher education opportunities in Hungary. We are confident that the participation in education fairs has helped our University to increase the number of talented foreign students from the Central Asian region, who are wishing to study in Hungary.