Pope addresses students of the Pontifical Filipino College

(February 21, 2011) Pope Benedict XVI is encouraging priests to seize the opportunities to grow in "spiritual and theological maturity" so that they can better face the challenges of the future. This exhortation came while he received a group of students and faculty from the Pontifical Filipino College of Rome. Blessed Pope John XXIII founded the college 50 years ago and the papal audience was commemorating the anniversary. The German Pontiff encouraged the students to "grow in faith" and strive for excellence in their studies, grasping every opportunity to attain spiritual and theological maturity, so that they can be well equipped for their future tasks. On a more practical level he urged them to maintain a healthy balance between local pastoral concerns and the academic requirements of their stay in Rome. He also told them not to forget their homeland, where they should return with an "unshakeable affection of your own for the Successor of Peter."