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."