VATICAN - The Pope tells teachers and students from the University of Parma: “Truly free, according to the Gospel and the tradition of the Church, is the person, community or institution that fully responds to its own nature and goals, and the vocation of the University is the scientific and cultural formation of the person for the progress of the entire community.”

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - The Holy Father Benedict XVI focused on the spiritual inheritance left by the great reformer Saint Peter Damian in his address to teachers and students from the University of Parma, whom he received in an audience on December 1, to commemorate the ancient roots of the School of Parma,” being inspired by Saint Peter Damian, whose 1,000th anniversary of his birth was recently celebrated, and who was a student and later a teacher at the schools in Parma.
Quoting a letter sent to the Camaldolese Congregation of the Order of St. Benedict last year, the Pope recalled how he had mentioned that it is “the central characteristic of his personality is of particular value for our time: that happy blend of hermit life and ecclesial activity, the harmonious tension between the two fundamental poles of human existence: solitude and communion.” In our day, which is dominated by the new information technologies, the new generations run the risk of “ growing reduction in their capacity for concentration and mental application on an individual level; on the other, that of isolating themselves individually in an increasingly virtual reality. In this way the social dimension is dispersed in a thousand fragments, while the individual dimension turns in on itself and tends to close off to constructive relations with others. The University, by nature, lives according to the balance between the individual moment and that of the community, between the research and reflection of each person and the open exchange and dialogue with others, in a horizon that is tendentially universal.”
Benedict XVI then highlighted the “lack of unifying principles” present even in our day, challenging the academic studies in the effort to “contribute to the quality of education in society, not only in terms of scientific research in the strict sense, but also in a more general sense, in offering the youth the possibility of maturing intellectually, morally, and civilly, confronting the great questions that concern modern man.”
Saint Peter Damian is counted among the great “reformers” of the Church after the year 1,000, and questioning as to the “genuine concept of reform,” the Pope pointed out that “every authentic reform should above all be spiritual and moral, and thus, be rooted in the conscience. Oftentimes today, including in Italy, people speak of university reform. I believe that, within reason, this lesson is always valid: structural and technical changes are efficient to the degree in which they are accompanied by a serious examination of conscience on the part of those responsible on all levels, by every teacher, every student, by every technical and administrative aid.” If we want a human environment to improve, “we must first of all ensure that each person begins by reforming him or herself, correcting that which can harm the common good or hinder it in any way,” the Pope said.
Benedict XVI linked the concept of reform to that of freedom. Saint Peter Damian wanted the Church to be freer, on both a spiritual and historical plain. “In the same way, the validity of university reform finds its confirmation in freedom. Freedom to teach, freedom to pursue research, freedom of the academic institution from economic and political power. This does not mean isolating the university from society ... nor pursuit of private interests by profiting from public resources. This is certainly not Christian freedom. Truly free, according to the Gospel and the tradition of the Church, is the person, community or institution that fully responds to its own nature and goals.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 2/12/2008)