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Pope Francis’ address to the extraordinary Plenary Assembly of the Dicastery for Evangelization – Section for the First Evangelization and the New Particular Churches
Consistory Hall – Friday, 30 August 2024
“The Urbania University has its own identity”.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
You have come to Rome from every continent to reflect on the identity, mission, expectations and future of the Pontifical Urban University.
There are some plans to “fuse” it with the other universities: no, this is not good.
I congratulate you on the synodal procedure you have chosen, by first gathering the contributions from the Bishops Conferences of the countries within the competence of the Dicastery.
I too would like to offer some reflections in this regard, from the point of view of the way in which the Urbania responds to the authority and activity of the Dicastery for Evangelization, in accordance with the organizational plan established by the Apostolic Constitution Praedicate Evangelium.
The Urbania University has its own identity.
I would like to speak first of all about the connection between identity and mission.
The vocation of this academic institution means that its identity has always coincided with its mission.
The formation, teaching, research and vitality of the university are part of the mission we have received to proclaim the Good News to all peoples (Mk 16:15 – he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation) and their implementation can never be considered definitive – always on the move! –.
They are open dimensions that must allow themselves to be constantly guided by the breath of the Holy Spirit who guides history and calls us to interpret the times in which we live. And to do so according to their own criteria.
The intuition and founding values of the Institution remain valid, as does the four hundred year journey from the ancient Urban College to the Urbaniana University.
It is necessary, to translate this patrimony into adequate responses to the questions that today’s reality poses to the Church and to the world:
“Ecclesiastical studies cannot be limited to transferring knowledge, skills, experiences, to the men and women of our time, […] but they must acquire the urgent task of developing intellectual tools capable of presenting themselves as paradigms of action and thought, useful for proclamation in a world marked by ethical-religious pluralism“ (Apostolic Constitution n. Veritatis Gaudium, 5).
We do not live in a Christian society, but we are called to live as Christians in today’s pluralistic society.
As Christians and open.
With regard to the second combination of expectations-future, reflection is part of the discernment required of university institutions in Rome which are specifically dependent on the Apostolic See.
Here the need to improve the quality of the formation and research offered, and the necessary rationalization of human and economic resources, must converge.
For this reason, there is a need for a vision capable of looking beyond the present, capable of taking into account:
– the ecclesial and social situation,
– the vitality and sustainability of ecclesial structures
– the needs of the local Churches,
– vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life,
– the demographic indices of the various regions.
We know well that ‘the identification of goals without an adequate community search for the means to achieve them is condemned to be t transformed into mere fantasy“ (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium, n. Evangelii Gaudium, 33).
Healthy creativity is needed to find the right paths.
Don’t be afraid of creativity: you need it, this healthy creativity.
The invitation to “form a chorus“, given in the meeting with all the Pontifical Universities and Academic Institutions in Rome, in February of last year, does not end in a technical solution.
It expresses concern that a renewed model of the University, as a community of knowledge and learning, avoids the risk of reducing studies to the mere fulfilment of lessons, credits and exams.
Making an academic institution attractive and competitive requires a committed faculty, scholarly inquiry and the ability to make a meaningful contribution to teaching.
Making good use of resources means unifying equal paths, sharing the teachers of the six institutions, eliminating waste, planning activities wisely, abandoning outdated practices and projects. And for this I want to thank the Cardinal and the Secretary, who are doing a real job to avoid these ugly, dirty things that I have just said. Thank you for what you are doing.
In the specific case of the Urban, it is important that, in the quality of the formation offered, its missionary and intercultural specificity is even more evident, so that those who are formed are able to transmit the Christian message with originality in their relationship with other cultures and religions. How much we need pastors, consecrated persons and lay people who know how to embody a missionary zeal to evangelize cultures and thus inculturate the Gospel!
These two things always go together: the evangelization of culture and inculturation of the Gospel.
I hope that, as has already happened in the case of Asia and China, more research centers will be created for the different geographical and cultural areas and that the existing ones will be strengthened.
It is also necessary to promote the affiliation of seminaries and theological institutes in missionary ecclesial circumscriptions; if this is not possible, it is necessary to guarantee a different but constant accompaniment.
Dear brothers and sisters, I thank you very much for the work you are doing in these days.
And thank you for your commitment in the various ecclesial contexts in which you exercise your ministry.
May the Holy Spirit inspire your reflections with the gift of wisdom.
May the Virgin Mary, Queen of the Mission, accompany you with her maternal intercession.
I pray for you, but please do it for me, because this work is joyful but not easy!
