Sophia Magazine vol.7 / SUMMER 2018

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Archbishop Hollerich lived in Japan from 1985 through 2011, with the exception of five years in Germany where he received his two master’s degrees in Theology and German as a Foreign Language. He recalls, “When I was a young Jesuit, I came across Japan in my readings and was fascinated by the modernity of the country that somehow coexisted with its traditional background. So I applied to go to Japan, and was very lucky to have been assigned to Sophia University.” As he was driven from the airport through the unfamiliar environs of the immense city of Tokyo, Archbishop Hollerich’s first thought was that he had much to learn, especially the language. “I told myself, ‘I must master Japanese or I shall be lost!’” Upon first seeing the Sophia campus, he was im-pressed with it. In fact, the very idea of a campus was new to him because European universities typically consist of build-ings scattered around a town or city area. “I liked it especially because it was compact, which meant that I could run into and meet so many different people.”Archbishop Hollerich came to Japan with his mind open, and he was ready to serve in whatever way he was called upon. When a part-time lecturer position opened up in So-phia’s Department of German Studies, he jumped at the op-portunity. From there, he steadily progressed in his roles at Sophia, rising from Lecturer to Professor to Vice President. “But the titles themselves were not the goal for me; rather, I was intent on being a professional, namely that I did my job fully and was good at what I did.”To Archbishop Hollerich, being professional in his capac-ity as a professor meant thorough preparation for courses and exploring new content and ideas instead of repeating the same old theories. Just as he held himself to a high standard, he also had high expectations of his students. However, he says he never enjoyed giving tests, instead preferring presen-tations and discussions with students to draw out their criti-cal thinking skills. “I loved when my students had a different stance from mine. But I was always tough and told them it was not enough just to have opinions; they needed to have well-founded opinions. I made them back up their stance with facts and research.”His seminars were often too big for all the students to do presentations in time, so he organized occasional weekend trips where students could continue their presentations. Al-though the trips were voluntary, students were always eager to participate. He enjoyed discussing ideas over a pint of beer outside the classroom as well. “I think it is quite Japanese to care so much about your students. I truly loved teaching, and as Archbishop I sometimes miss that wonderful experience.” Archbishop Hollerich has great respect for Sophia Univer-sity as an international center of learning that fosters both Career at Sophia Universityunderstanding of Japan as well as cross-cultural dialogue. “At Sophia, not only do you have the wonderful opportunity to study in Japan, but there is also an international commu-nity that enables you to learn about so many of the world’s countries.” He also admires Sophia for upholding its core values and traditions while constantly evolving its curricu-lum to adapt to changes in Japan and around the world. He points to new English-language courses in increasingly cru-cial areas like environmental technology as evidence of So-phia’s contributions both at home and abroad.Although some people have expressed skepticism about the impact of the internet on academia, Archbishop Hollerich counters, “I am always optimistic about the future. We are now in the midst of an extraordinary cultural transforma-tion and I find it marvelous.” He points out that modern stu-dents can access information faster and with more ease than any other generation in history. However, although informa-tion access has increased, the ability to think critically and digest that information is still lacking. “I think the future of the university lies in its ability to bring people together for meaningful, in-person discussions on content obtained out-side of class time. Universities need to take up the new chal-lenges of the digital age with confidence and joy.”Archbishop Hollerich also believes that the role of religion has changed amidst rapid globalization. As countries be-come increasingly diverse, religion must function as a bridge between different peoples and cultures with the goal of creat-ing a better future. “We must bring people together to show them that their differences do not mean they should oppose each other. I believe Pope Francis is setting a truly wonder-ful direction for the Church that helps people strengthen their faith in a way that recognizes modern issues. My role as Archbishop is to take up the charge given to us by the Pope.”“In Luxembourg, we have great diversity of religion, from The Future Roles of Academia and Religion The Archbishop while he was teaching at Sophia University18Sophia People