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Summarizing Remarks from AJCU on Pope Benedict XVI's Speech to Catholic Education Leaders
April 18, 2008
Presidents of Jesuit colleges and universities were among the more than 400 leaders of Catholic education invited to listen to Pope Benedict XVI speak last evening at The Catholic University of America on the nature and identity of Catholic education, and to thank educators for their dedication and generosity in this challenging task.
Benedict's message was one of affirmation and encouragement for the important contributions that Catholic education offers to our country. The Pope emphasized that, with its mission of combining faith and reason and its constant pursuit of the truth, Catholic education will continue to play a vital role in preparing students for lives of compassionate leadership and service. Just as importantly, it will continue to provide young people with the moral, intellectual, and spiritual foundation that propels them to seek the truth and bring hope to those who suffer.
The Pope challenged Catholic leaders to realize their ever-increasing opportunities and responsibilities to promote Catholic education as "a powerful instrument of hope," as "integral to the mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News," and as a "place to encounter the living God." He emphasized that Catholic identity is not simply a question of statistics, e.g., the number of Catholic students. Nor can it be "equated simply with orthodoxy of course content." It is rather a question of conviction with "faith tangible in our universities and schools."
The Pope repeated two of his favorite themes: the need to relate faith and reason in the quest for truth, and the pursuit of truth as an act of love. He highlighted the urgent need for "intellectual charity," which reinforces the idea that an educator's role in leading students to truth "is nothing less than an act of love."
Benedict's words expressed a profound respect for academic freedom, saying it is a "great value," and that individuals "are called to search for the truth wherever careful analysis of evidence leads." The Pope also stressed that "such freedom should not contradict the faith and the teaching of the Church."
In his closing remarks, Pope Benedict imparted his Apostolic blessing on all present, as well as on their colleagues and students. He left his listeners warmly affirmed in their work, and clearly challenged them to work even harder and with greater clarity to foster the Catholic identity of their schools.
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