Der Papst an der Universität - der Wortlaut der Rede
Your Eminences, Dear Brother Bishops, Distinguished Professors, Teachers and
Educators,
“How beautiful are the footsteps of those who bring good news”
(Rom 10:15-17). With these words of Isaiah quoted by Saint Paul, I warmly
greet each of you – bearers of wisdom – and through you the staff, students and families
of the many and varied institutions of learning that you represent. It is my great
pleasure to meet you and to share with you some thoughts regarding the nature and
identity of Catholic education today. I especially wish to thank Father David O’Connell,
President and Rector of the Catholic University of America. Your kind words of welcome
are much appreciated. Please extend my heartfelt gratitude to the entire community
– faculty, staff and students – of this University. Education is integral to the
mission of the Church to proclaim the Good News. First and foremost every Catholic
educational institution is a place to encounter the living God who in Jesus Christ
reveals his transforming love and truth (cf. Spe Salvi, 4). This relationship
elicits a desire to grow in the knowledge and understanding of Christ and his teaching.
In this way those who meet him are drawn by the very power of the Gospel to lead a
new life characterized by all that is beautiful, good, and true; a life of Christian
witness nurtured and strengthened within the community of our Lord’s disciples, the
Church. The dynamic between personal encounter, knowledge and Christian witness
is integral to the diakonia of truth which the Church exercises in the midst
of humanity. God’s revelation offers every generation the opportunity to discover
the ultimate truth about its own life and the goal of history. This task is never
easy; it involves the entire Christian community and motivates each generation of
Christian educators to ensure that the power of God’s truth permeates every dimension
of the institutions they serve. In this way, Christ’s Good News is set to work, guiding
both teacher and student towards the objective truth which, in transcending the particular
and the subjective, points to the universal and absolute that enables us to proclaim
with confidence the hope which does not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5). Set against
personal struggles, moral confusion and fragmentation of knowledge, the noble goals
of scholarship and education, founded on the unity of truth and in service of the
person and the community, become an especially powerful instrument of hope. Dear
friends, the history of this nation includes many examples of the Church’s commitment
in this regard. The Catholic community here has in fact made education one of its
highest priorities. This undertaking has not come without great sacrifice. Towering
figures, like Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and other founders and foundresses, with great
tenacity and foresight, laid the foundations of what is today a remarkable network
of parochial schools contributing to the spiritual well-being of the Church and the
nation. Some, like Saint Katharine Drexel, devoted their lives to educating those
whom others had neglected – in her case, African Americans and Native Americans.
Countless dedicated Religious Sisters, Brothers, and Priests together with selfless
parents have, through Catholic schools, helped generations of immigrants to rise from
poverty and take their place in mainstream society. This sacrifice continues
today. It is an outstanding apostolate of hope, seeking to address the material,
intellectual and spiritual needs of over three million children and students. It
also provides a highly commendable opportunity for the entire Catholic community to
contribute generously to the financial needs of our institutions. Their long-term
sustainability must be assured. Indeed, everything possible must be done, in cooperation
with the wider community, to ensure that they are accessible to people of all social
and economic strata. No child should be denied his or her right to an education in
faith, which in turn nurtures the soul of a nation. Some today question the Church’s
involvement in education, wondering whether her resources might be better placed elsewhere.
Certainly in a nation such as this, the State provides ample opportunities for education
and attracts committed and generous men and women to this honorable profession. It
is timely, then, to reflect on what is particular to our Catholic institutions. How
do they contribute to the good of society through the Church’s primary mission of
evangelization? All the Church’s activities stem from her awareness that she
is the bearer of a message which has its origin in God himself: in his goodness and
wisdom, God chose to reveal himself and to make known the hidden purpose of his will
(cf. Eph 1:9; Dei Verbum, 2). God’s desire to make himself known, and
the innate desire of all human beings to know the truth, provide the context for human
inquiry into the meaning of life. This unique encounter is sustained within our Christian
community: the one who seeks the truth becomes the one who lives by faith (cf. Fides
et Ratio, 31). It can be described as a move from “I” to “we”, leading the individual
to be numbered among God’s people. This same dynamic of communal identity – to
whom do I belong? – vivifies the ethos of our Catholic institutions. A university
or school’s Catholic identity is not simply a question of the number of Catholic students.
It is a question of conviction – do we really believe that only in the mystery of
the Word made flesh does the mystery of man truly become clear (cf. Gaudium et
Spes, 22)? Are we ready to commit our entire self – intellect and will, mind
and heart – to God? Do we accept the truth Christ reveals? Is the faith tangible
in our universities and schools? Is it given fervent expression liturgically, sacramentally,
through prayer, acts of charity, a concern for justice, and respect for God’s creation?
Only in this way do we really bear witness to the meaning of who we are and what we
uphold. From this perspective one can recognize that the contemporary “crisis
of truth” is rooted in a “crisis of faith”. Only through faith can we freely give
our assent to God’s testimony and acknowledge him as the transcendent guarantor of
the truth he reveals. Again, we see why fostering personal intimacy with Jesus Christ
and communal witness to his loving truth is indispensable in Catholic institutions
of learning. Yet we all know, and observe with concern, the difficulty or reluctance
many people have today in entrusting themselves to God. It is a complex phenomenon
and one which I ponder continually. While we have sought diligently to engage the
intellect of our young, perhaps we have neglected the will. Subsequently we observe,
with distress, the notion of freedom being distorted. Freedom is not an opting out.
It is an opting in – a participation in Being itself. Hence authentic freedom can
never be attained by turning away from God. Such a choice would ultimately disregard
the very truth we need in order to understand ourselves. A particular responsibility
therefore for each of you, and your colleagues, is to evoke among the young the desire
for the act of faith, encouraging them to commit themselves to the ecclesial life
that follows from this belief. It is here that freedom reaches the certainty of truth.
In choosing to live by that truth, we embrace the fullness of the life of faith which
is given to us in the Church. Clearly, then, Catholic identity is not dependent
upon statistics. Neither can it be equated simply with orthodoxy of course content.
It demands and inspires much more: namely that each and every aspect of your learning
communities reverberates within the ecclesial life of faith. Only in faith can truth
become incarnate and reason truly human, capable of directing the will along the path
of freedom (cf. Spe Salvi, 23). In this way our institutions make a vital
contribution to the mission of the Church and truly serve society. They become places
in which God’s active presence in human affairs is recognized and in which every young
person discovers the joy of entering into Christ’s “being for others” (cf. ibid.,
28). The Church’s primary mission of evangelization, in which educational institutions
play a crucial role, is consonant with a nation’s fundamental aspiration to develop
a society truly worthy of the human person’s dignity. At times, however, the value
of the Church’s contribution to the public forum is questioned. It is important therefore
to recall that the truths of faith and of reason never contradict one another (cf.
First Vatican Ecumenical Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Catholic Faith Dei
Filius, IV: DS 3017; St. Augustine, Contra Academicos, III, 20,
43). The Church’s mission, in fact, involves her in humanity’s struggle to arrive
at truth. In articulating revealed truth she serves all members of society by purifying
reason, ensuring that it remains open to the consideration of ultimate truths. Drawing
upon divine wisdom, she sheds light on the foundation of human morality and ethics,
and reminds all groups in society that it is not praxis that creates truth but truth
that should serve as the basis of praxis. Far from undermining the tolerance of legitimate
diversity, such a contribution illuminates the very truth which makes consensus attainable,
and helps to keep public debate rational, honest and accountable. Similarly the Church
never tires of upholding the essential moral categories of right and wrong, without
which hope could only wither, giving way to cold pragmatic calculations of utility
which render the person little more than a pawn on some ideological chess-board. With
regard to the educational forum, the diakonia of truth takes on a heightened
significance in societies where secularist ideology drives a wedge between truth and
faith. This division has led to a tendency to equate truth with knowledge and to
adopt a positivistic mentality which, in rejecting metaphysics, denies the foundations
of faith and rejects the need for a moral vision. Truth means more than knowledge:
knowing the truth leads us to discover the good. Truth speaks to the individual in
his or her the entirety, inviting us to respond with our whole being. This optimistic
vision is found in our Christian faith because such faith has been granted the vision
of the Logos, God’s creative Reason, which in the Incarnation, is revealed
as Goodness itself. Far from being just a communication of factual data – “informative”
– the loving truth of the Gospel is creative and life-changing – “performative” (cf.
Spe Salvi, 2). With confidence, Christian educators can liberate the young
from the limits of positivism and awaken receptivity to the truth, to God and his
goodness. In this way you will also help to form their conscience which, enriched
by faith, opens a sure path to inner peace and to respect for others. It comes
as no surprise, then, that not just our own ecclesial communities but society in general
has high expectations of Catholic educators. This places upon you a responsibility
and offers an opportunity. More and more people – parents in particular – recognize
the need for excellence in the human formation of their children. As MateretMagistra, the Church shares their concern. When nothing beyond the
individual is recognized as definitive, the ultimate criterion of judgment becomes
the self and the satisfaction of the individual’s immediate wishes. The objectivity
and perspective, which can only come through a recognition of the essential transcendent
dimension of the human person, can be lost. Within such a relativistic horizon the
goals of education are inevitably curtailed. Slowly, a lowering of standards occurs.
We observe today a timidity in the face of the category of the good and an aimless
pursuit of novelty parading as the realization of freedom. We witness an assumption
that every experience is of equal worth and a reluctance to admit imperfection and
mistakes. And particularly disturbing, is the reduction of the precious and delicate
area of education in sexuality to management of ‘risk’, bereft of any reference to
the beauty of conjugal love. How might Christian educators respond? These harmful
developments point to the particular urgency of what we might call “intellectual charity”.
This aspect of charity calls the educator to recognize that the profound responsibility
to lead the young to truth is nothing less than an act of love. Indeed, the dignity
of education lies in fostering the true perfection and happiness of those to be educated.
In practice “intellectual charity” upholds the essential unity of knowledge against
the fragmentation which ensues when reason is detached from the pursuit of truth.
It guides the young towards the deep satisfaction of exercising freedom in relation
to truth, and it strives to articulate the relationship between faith and all aspects
of family and civic life. Once their passion for the fullness and unity of truth
has been awakened, young people will surely relish the discovery that the question
of what they can know opens up the vast adventure of what they ought to do. Here
they will experience “in what” and “in whom” it is possible to hope, and be inspired
to contribute to society in a way that engenders hope in others. Dear friends,
I wish to conclude by focusing our attention specifically on the paramount importance
of your own professionalism and witness within our Catholic universities and schools.
First, let me thank you for your dedication and generosity. I know from my own days
as a professor, and I have heard from your Bishops and officials of the Congregation
for Catholic Education, that the reputation of Catholic institutes of learning in
this country is largely due to yourselves and your predecessors. Your selfless contributions
– from outstanding research to the dedication of those working in inner-city schools
– serve both your country and the Church. For this I express my profound gratitude. In
regard to faculty members at Catholic colleges universities, I wish to reaffirm the
great value of academic freedom. In virtue of this freedom you are called to search
for the truth wherever careful analysis of evidence leads you. Yet it is also the
case that any appeal to the principle of academic freedom in order to justify positions
that contradict the faith and the teaching of the Church would obstruct or even betray
the university=s identity and mission; a mission at the heart of the Church’s munus
docendi and not somehow autonomous or independent of it. Teachers and administrators,
whether in universities or schools, have the duty and privilege to ensure that students
receive instruction in Catholic doctrine and practice. This requires that public
witness to the way of Christ, as found in the Gospel and upheld by the Church=s Magisterium,
shapes all aspects of an institution’s life, both inside and outside the classroom.
Divergence from this vision weakens Catholic identity and, far from advancing freedom,
inevitably leads to confusion, whether moral, intellectual or spiritual. I wish
also to express a particular word of encouragement to both lay and Religious teachers
of catechesis who strive to ensure that young people become daily more appreciative
of the gift of faith. Religious education is a challenging apostolate, yet there
are many signs of a desire among young people to learn about the faith and practice
it with vigor. If this awakening is to grow, teachers require a clear and precise
understanding of the specific nature and role of Catholic education. They must also
be ready to lead the commitment made by the entire school community to assist our
young people, and their families, to experience the harmony between faith, life and
culture. Here I wish to make a special appeal to Religious Brothers, Sisters
and Priests: do not abandon the school apostolate; indeed, renew your commitment to
schools especially those in poorer areas. In places where there are many hollow promises
which lure young people away from the path of truth and genuine freedom, the consecrated
person’s witness to the evangelical counsels is an irreplaceable gift. I encourage
the Religious present to bring renewed enthusiasm to the promotion of vocations.
Know that your witness to the ideal of consecration and mission among the young is
a source of great inspiration in faith for them and their families. To
all of you I say: bear witness to hope. Nourish your witness with prayer. Account
for the hope that characterizes your lives (cf. 1 Pet 3:15) by living the truth
which you propose to your students. Help them to know and love the One you have encountered,
whose truth and goodness you have experienced with joy. With Saint Augustine, let
us say: “we who speak and you who listen acknowledge ourselves as fellow disciples
of a single teacher” (Sermons, 23:2). With these sentiments of communion,
I gladly impart to you, your colleagues and students, and to your families, my Apostolic
Blessing.