Against the odds, Pope Francis lived through Easter, and now we mourn him, comforted by the hope of the resurrection, knowing God has welcomed his faithful servant home. During his last weeks, he found the energy to go out several times, thanking the medical staff who nursed him, blessing inmates at a prison, and surprising visitors to St. Peter’s in his wheelchair, because he wanted to be with the faithful.

Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, was always an outsider, from an immigrant family that escaped Mussolini’s fascism to immigrate to Argentina. He was the first pope from the Americas and the southern hemisphere, and the first Jesuit pope. He took the name of Francis of Assisi, the patron of the poor, and decided against living in the lavish Vatican palace. My favorite image is of him driving his own 1984 Renault around Rome.

During his twelve-year tenure, Francis embodied the Jesuit way of proceeding as he moved the Church in the direction of its people, loving the Church enough to improve it. With his trademark humility, he urged the global Church to become the dream of the Gospels, one in which a justice rooted in love prevails, one that listens to its people. He reminded us that we are “fratelli tutti”—brothers and sisters all. He begged us to love God’s creation and the Earth our home, to act quickly to change the dangerous trajectory of climate change. His voice was a clarion call to the world.

We at Fordham responded to his call. Our graduate students developed the Pope Francis Global Poverty Index, which they present annually, inspired by his call for us to make an impact on poverty and well-being. When he convened the three-year Synod on Synodality, a process of listening, dialogue, and discernment that included all the voices of the Church, Fordham sent a delegation of students to the Vatican. When Fordham hosted the Outreach Conference, he sent handwritten letters of support about the power of engagement. His emphasis on social justice, inclusion, and environmental stewardship leaves a lasting legacy—one that calls each of us to continue his work.

I was blessed to meet Pope Francis when I traveled to Rome with a group of Fordham trustees and faculty. Our board chair, Armando Nuñez, spoke to him in the Pope’s native Spanish and we presented him with a Fordham jersey. He smiled and blessed our great University.

As we mourn his passing, take some time today to read his profound writings and sit with his messages. Nothing can honor him more. Let us answer his call to care for the most vulnerable, to build bridges rather than barriers, and to live our faith with courage, mercy, and love.

With Prayers,

Tania Tetlow
President

Dear Fordham Community,

Juneteenth is short for June Nineteenth, and it commemorates the day federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas, in 1865 to enforce the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation’s abolition of slavery in confederate states. Long before Juneteenth became an official federal holiday in 2021, African Americans in Texas and beyond honored the promise and complexity of the day. Juneteenth represents the promise of a future of full equality while recognizing the longstanding struggle in pursuing a true multiracial democracy. Indeed, each Juneteenth from 1865 to the present has witnessed the bittersweet recognition of racial progress accompanied by violent resistance.

Consider that Juneteenth originates in the simultaneous celebration of slavery’s abolition along with the recognition of the opposition to freedom that caused a more than two-and-a-half-year delay in its legal enforcement, including the two-month delay following the conclusion of the Civil War. Thereafter, the creation of the constitutional right to be free of slavery (13th Amendment) and the right to equality (14th Amendment) were quickly followed by legally imposed barriers to the constitutional promise of racial justice. The structural obstacles included racially imposed prohibitions on property ownership, freedom of movement, voting, employment, and much more. This year’s Juneteenth is witness to the joy of seeing Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in action as the first Black woman on the Supreme Court, at the same time that the Supreme Court imposes severe constraints on the use of programs of racial inclusion like affirmative action in its SFFA v. Harvard decision. Bittersweet indeed.

For this reason, the domestic Juneteenth holiday resonates with many communities and global social justice movements. People fighting for freedom across the globe value the importance of celebrating social change while also acknowledging the continuing resistance to that change. In the midst of so much global turmoil, let us commemorate Juneteenth, like so many civil rights warriors of the past, by honoring the complexity of celebrating the racial progress that exists while remaining vigilant to all the ways that more work needs to be done.

In Celebration and Contemplation,

Tanya Katerí Hernández
Archibald R. Murray Professor of Law
Associate Director, Center on Race, Law and Justice
Fordham Law School

Dear Fordham Community,

As we commemorate Memorial Day with our families and friends, we should remember the meaning of this day beyond the barbecues and festive gatherings. This day is a solemn occasion honoring the brave veterans who have laid down their lives in service to our nation—“the last full measure of devotion,” in President Lincoln’s phrase. It is a time to reflect and acknowledge their courage and commitment, and to express our deepest gratitude for their ultimate sacrifice. 

Among these heroes, we remember our own with special reverence: the many veterans of the Fordham community, including distinguished Medal of Honor recipients. One exemplary recipient is Navy Lieutenant Vincent Robert Capodanno Jr., FCRH ’52, a Catholic priest, Maryknoll missionary, and Navy chaplain, who served with valor and distinction during the Vietnam War. 

On September 4, 1967, in the face of withering enemy fire, Father Capodanno, while mortally wounded, demonstrated extraordinary heroism and selflessness as he administered medical aid and last rites to his wounded and dying marines. For his actions, our nation posthumously awarded him the Medal of Honor, the highest military honor, a testament to his bravery and devotion. The Catholic Church has declared him a Servant of God, the first step to canonization as a saint.

The legacy of individuals like Father Capodanno serves as a powerful reminder of the values we hold dear: courage, selflessness, love for one another, and unwavering commitment to the greater good. Their stories are not just a part of our history; they shape our identity and live in our collective memory. As we honor these heroes, let us also renew our dedication to the principles they fought to protect. 

On this Memorial Day, I encourage each of you to take a moment to remember and honor our fallen service members. Reflect on their sacrifices, share their stories, and ensure that their legacy lives on. Let their courage inspire us to strive for a better, more just and equitable world, and let their memory be a guiding light for future generations. 

In gratitude and remembrance, 
Marco Antonio Valera 
Vice President for Administration
Commander, United States Navy, Retired

Dear Fordham Community,

At the stroke of midnight last night, Orthodox Christians around the world stood in darkness, anticipating the reception of the Paschal light and the first acclamation of Christ’s Resurrection: “Come receive the light, from the never-setting light; and glorify Christ who has risen from the dead.” After 40 days of Lent, which called all Orthodox Christians to reorient their lives toward God through prayer and fasting, and a Holy Week that recounted the saga of Christ’s life, death, and Resurrection, Orthodox Christian faithful now, with our Catholic and Protestant neighbors, can joyfully cry:

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

Pascha, colloquially Orthodox Easter, is calculated according to the Julian calendar and thus does not, generally, coincide with the Paschal celebrations of other Christians around the world. Like all Orthodox Christians, I have lived with this near annual divergence in commemorating the Feast of Feasts for my entire life. I have come to see this particular reality as an unintended, yet somehow beautiful reaffirmation of the fact that every Sunday is a Paschal celebration. Every Sunday is then the new day, filled with light, hope, and possibility. 

As Orthodox Christians raise, quite literally, the Paschal light in triumph of life over death, hope over despair, and freedom over bondage of all kinds, it should not be forgotten that at its core, Pascha is an ecstatic and emphatic declaration that humanity has been, is being, and will always be transformed for the better by love. While this blessed day draws to a close, our joy will not be extinguished, as we all carry the light of new life in our hearts whenever we endeavor to cultivate lives of hope, love, and joy.

Truly, then our hearts will sing without ceasing the words of the Psalmist, “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Ps. 118:24).  

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

Dear Fordham Community,

Passover is a festival when Jews remember the bondage of the Jewish people under the pharaohs in Egypt and give thanks for our deliverance. Central to Passover is the Seder—a large feast on the first two nights of Passover at which participants read and recite the Haggadah, which recounts the story of Exodus laden with songs and rabbinic interpretations. During the eight days of Passover, observers of the holiday are forbidden to eat bread or other foods with yeast. Instead, the only grain products we may eat are made with matzoh, a cracker-like unleavened bread. The story goes that in escaping, the Jews did not have time to let bread rise before baking.

Passover is principally celebrated in homes, rather than in synagogues. It is a time when families gather. I have attended seders every year of my life. Growing up, we went to our cousins. Later, my mother hosted our seders. Now we gather either in my sister Wendy’s or our own home. In addition to matzoh, Passover has many special foods that vary across Jewish communities worldwide. Although the word seder literally means “order,” seders in my family are inflected with a certain amount of chaos—a relaxed informality reflecting the joy of being together.

Many have reflected on the larger messages of Passover, including its emphasis on passing down history through generations and the connection we bear to our ancestors. The holiday’s central theme focuses on liberation from oppression through the combined power of human action and divine intervention. It has inspired Jews and oppressed peoples through the centuries.

Philosopher Michael Walzer has identified three elements in the story of the Exodus that liberation movements have looked to through the centuries:

First, oppression has a starting place—a metaphoric Egypt; second, there is a better place—a world that is more just, where humanity is more fully realized; and third, the path to that place lies through the wilderness—a journey which tests our character and resolve.

Whether you celebrate Passover or not, I hope the spring brings joy to your family and progress to the cause of freedom.

Happy Passover,
Matthew Diller, Dean
Fordham Law School

Christ is risen!

At a moment when the world sorely needs it, today we celebrate life conquering death. We celebrate hope conquering despair. For in matured faith, Fordham encounters all creation, saying quietly, Peace be with you—the peace of learning, the peace of good will, the peace of love.

Easter is the “Pasch,” meaning “passage.” As Pope Francis describes it, “For in Jesus the decisive passage of humanity has been made: the passage from death to life, from sin to grace, from fear to confidence, from desolation to communion.” Today, we run towards the light, as the women in the Gospel rushed to find the risen Lord.

The events we remember in this Holy Week teach us that joy does not just descend upon us. Joy comes from struggle and suffering, from the empathy and humility we learn the hard way. We are remembering now that God’s Son, fully with us in our humanity, has gone the hard way before us.

Then He rose. When He first spoke to the disciples, he said “Peace be with you.” Today we pray fervently for peace, for an end to devastating pain in the world. We comfort ourselves not by looking away, but by daring to hope.

Happy Easter,
Tania Tetlow
President

Today our Muslim friends celebrate the extraordinary feast of Ramadan, a time of renewal, commitment, and connection. Like Easter and Passover, Ramadan moves with the ancient lunar calendar, beginning with the sighting of the new crescent moon that ushers in the ninth (and most sacred month) of the Islamic year.

Observers will fast from sunrise to sunset and shift their focus to the power of night. They will gather in community, to break the fast with relief and joy, and to pray.

During the day, for 30 days, they will model a remarkable self-restraint, breaking out of the usual distractions of life—to help purify their souls, deepen their empathy, remember the less fortunate, and connect to the Almighty. Opening their hearts to Allah, they renew their commitment to family and community.

The rest of us will support our remarkable and hungry classmates and colleagues with awe.

Prayers and blessings,
Tania Tetlow, President

Today is more than a much-needed Monday off. Today we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., as another of our founding fathers, helping this country live up to its stated ideals. We remember that progress is not inevitable, but contested and fought for. We remember how far we have come but also how much of the work of racial justice is unfinished and how quickly we slide backward.

When we think about our heroes, we risk freezing them into bronze statues without humanity. To believe that Dr. King was perfect is to let ourselves off the hook as mere mortals. He was not perfect. He struggled with doubts and despair, with exhaustion and fear. But the power of his faith gave him courage so vast it takes our breath away.

And it was his faith that drove him—not just faith in democratic values, but in God. His example reminds us that religion, while often abused, is also the most powerful force for good, for justice. He led as a minister, harnessing the clarion call of Moses and Jesus to cut through a nation’s political denial.

King took the Gospels quite literally. He found a way to love his enemies, even when they came at him with visceral hatred and evil racism. By doing so, he revealed the truth of that hatred, and that contrasting love, to the world. King was willing to give his life for all of us, as he said the night before he was murdered, “to get to the Promised Land.”

And he was not alone. We hold forth individual heroes for inspiration, but movements are so much bigger than any one person. There are so many other leaders whose names we should know and must keep learning. So many heroes in our midst. There are also so many names we will never know, those countless thousands, from little children to college students to fragile old people, who marched, sat in whites-only seats, attempted to vote, and risked their lives as King did. So many others who also gave their lives.

Today let’s take a moment to remember that each of us faces profound moral choices, which are rarely labeled as such. Let us work harder to find the right path and to find the courage to take it.

Fordham, we don’t need to be fearless. We need to be brave.

Prayers and blessings,
Tania Tetlow, President

“The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light.”

Tonight, we look at the world through the eyes of the children around us and marvel at the wonder of it all. We remember that God loved us enough to be with us, as a vulnerable baby, born to poor and determined parents.

For all of us, whatever our faith, tomorrow morning the world outside will still, with more sounds of church bells than traffic. We have the chance to cut through the clutter of our lives, the impatience, the way we fill every spare minute by picking up our phones. Over a certain age, we will remember that we get far more joy from giving than receiving. We’ll remind ourselves of what matters and what doesn’t.

I pray that you find moments of rest and peace. I pray that you have time to bond with your family, including those you choose as your family. And I pray that you find the courage to hope for a better world.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays,
Tania Tetlow
President

A friend of mine told me recently that, as he gets older, he wakes up every morning surprised and delighted to get another day. I’ve been thinking about that remark ever since.

We are lucky enough to have an entire holiday centered on gratitude, a reminder that gratitude is the solution to so much of what ails us. If we do it right today, we’ll manage to avoid the heightened expectations of holidays, the internet-perfect images that never quite match our reality. We’ll cook together and burn a few things. We’ll laugh with eccentric relatives instead of letting them provoke us. We’ll collapse into deep, turkey-fueled sleep.

I hope that we can spend today remembering how lucky we are, no matter how imperfect our lives. Because most of us will have an abundance of food when so many have little. Most of us will have an abundance of people when so many are lonely.

Today, some of you will gather with friends and your chosen family. Others will mourn loved ones missing this year, savoring every memory. And some of you will go it alone, hopefully rejoicing in the peace of it all.

All my best,
Tania Tetlow
President

This week, across the Indian diaspora (including its beloved members here at Fordham), we celebrate Diwali. Just when we need it most, Diwali reminds us of the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance.

Diwali comes in the autumn, on the darkest of nights during the new moon. Tonight, the third of five, celebrants will light rooftops with oil lamps, fill windows with candles, and explode joyful fireworks. Celebrants decorate floors with intricate designs of brightly colored powder to welcome the divine, cook enormous feasts, and exchange gifts.

For Hindus (and Jains and Sikhs), Diwali fosters the inner light that protects against spiritual darkness. In what has been a very hard month in the world, we take this moment to nurture the embers of hope against understandable cynicism and despair. We remember that the smallest of candles can pierce the darkness.

Happy Diwali to all of us.

All my best,
Tania Tetlow
President