Respect for the dignity of every person and for his or her values is as much a part of the identity of a Catholic university as faith is, Pope Francis said.
« This is perhaps the most beautiful and greatest thing about your universities, » the pope told university chancellors, rectors and other leaders of Catholic institutions belonging to the International Federation of Catholic Universities Jan. 19.
Explaining that he had « a long speech to read, but my breathing is a bit labored, » the pope made only brief remarks to members of the group before greeting each of them individually. « This cold won’t go away, » he complained.
In an age when many universities have become businesses, Catholic universities « must take a stand, » helping students discover their vocations to contribute to peace and the betterment of society, Francis wrote in his prepared text, which was distributed to participants.
« A Catholic university must make choices, choices that reflect the Gospel, » he wrote to members of the federation of more than 225 Catholic universities and institutes of higher education.
Pope Pius XII formally recognized the federation in 1949, noting it « was established ‘in the wake of a horrendous war’ to be a means of fostering ‘reconciliation and the growth of peace and charity among peoples,’ » Francis wrote.
In the midst of « a third world war fought piecemeal, » the pope said, it is even more essential that « Catholic universities be in the forefront of efforts to build the culture of peace, in all its facets, which need to be addressed in an interdisciplinary vision. »
Francis drew their attention to St. John Paul II’s 1990 apostolic constitution « Ex Corde Ecclesiae, » providing general norms for Catholic universities, and how its title « from the heart of the church » insists that Catholic universities « cannot fail to be an expression of the love that inspires every activity of the church, namely, God’s love for the human person. »
Catholic universities, the pope said, must assist the church in engaging « confidently in dialogue on the great issues of our time. »
« Help us to translate culturally, in a language open to new generations and new times, the richness of the Christian tradition; to identify the new frontiers of thought, science and technology and to approach them with balance and wisdom, » he said. « Help us to build intergenerational and intercultural covenants for the protection and care of our common home, within a vision of integral ecology, and in this way respond effectively to the cry of the earth and the plea of the poor. »
« At a time when, unfortunately, education itself is becoming a ‘business,’ and great impersonal economic systems are investing in schools and universities as they do in the stock market, » he said, the church’s institutions must show that they are of a different nature and act in accordance with a different mindset.
The goal for Catholic universities cannot be limited to improved programs, facilities and income, the pope said.
« A greater passion must animate the university, as evidenced in a shared search for truth, a greater horizon of meaning, lived out in a community of knowledge where the liberality of love is palpable, » Francis said.
St. Augustine, as the philosopher Hannah Arendt noted, « described love with the word ‘appetitus,’ understood as inclination, desire, striving, » he wrote. « My advice to you, then, is this: Don’t lose your ‘appetitus.’ «
« It is not enough to award academic degrees, » the pope said. « It is necessary to awaken and cherish in each person the desire to ‘be.’ It is not enough to prepare students for competitive careers: It is necessary to help them discover fruitful vocations, to inspire pathways of authentic existence and to integrate the contribution of each individual within the creative dynamics of the larger community. »
Francis’ text also cautioned the universities against letting fear guide their decisions, something which « happens more often than we think. »
« The temptation to hide behind walls, in a safe social bubble, avoiding risks or cultural challenges, turning our backs on the complexity of reality may seem the safest course, » he said. « But this is sheer illusion. Fear devours the soul. »
And, he said, « don’t let a Catholic university merely replicate the walls typical of the societies in which we live: those of inequality, dehumanization, intolerance and indifference, or models aimed at promoting individualism rather than investing in fraternity. »
« We must always ask ourselves: What is the purpose of the learning we impart? What is the transformative potential of the knowledge we produce? What and whom do we serve? » Francis said.
