UGA SPIA Professor Dr. Gene A. Brewer was among a small group of organizers from the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS) who were received in a private audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV at the Vatican on Friday morning, Aug. 28, 2026.
The Pope met with the group in the Aula della Benedizione, a historic hall in the Apostolic Palace in Vatican City. Located directly above the portico of St. Peter’s Basilica, the hall opens onto the central balcony from which the Pope delivers the Urbi et Orbi blessing on Christmas Day, Easter Sunday, and other special occasions.
The Pope’s remarks focused on how institutions, leaders and societies can ensure that technological progress remains at the service of people and the common good. The theme was particularly timely following the publication of his recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, which reflects on safeguarding the human person in the age of artificial intelligence and addresses questions of human dignity, responsibility, accountability and AI governance.
The private audience also renewed a historic connection between the IIAS and the Vatican. In 1950, participants in the IIAS Congress were received in a private audience by Pope Pius XII at the Pontifical Palace of Castel Gandolfo, the papal summer residence. More than 75 years later, Friday’s audience with Pope Leo XIV renewed that dialogue in a very different context, as public administration confronts emerging questions about artificial intelligence, human responsibility and governance for the common good.
Dr. Brewer is a longtime member and organizer of the IIAS and its European Group for Public Administration (EGPA). He delivered a keynote address to junior scholars at last year’s IIAS Congress in Glasgow, Scotland, and serves as deputy editor of the organization’s flagship journal.
