EUROPE/SPAIN - The identity of Catholic universities: “The mission of the Catholic university is not complete if it does not aim at evangelization.”

Madrid (Agenzia Fides) – Scholars and heads of European universities met in the “Universidad Francisco de Victoria” in Pozuelo de Alarcon (Madrid) on January 29-30 to discuss the challenges of the Catholic university and the “Bologna Process.” In these “University Symposiums” organized by the John Henry Newman Institute, the question of the identity of Catholic universities has been addressed, under the title: “The Catholic University: mimicry, nostalgia, or new humanism.” Various experts from the intellectual world took part, including: Cardinal Paul Poupard, Emeritus President of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Archbishop Fernando Sebastian, Emeritus Archbishop of Pamplona and Tudela; Bishop Martinez Camino, Auxiliar Bishop of Madrid; Monsignor Melchor Sanchez de Toca, Undersecretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture; Fr. Florencio Sanchez, LC, Pastoral Ministry Director at the University “Francisco de Vitoria and Director of the John Henry Newman Institute; and Pedro Morande, Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the Pontifical Catholic University in Chile.
Inaugurating the Symposiums was Cardinal Paul Poupard, who gave a conference on “The University as a community of researchers among professors and students, reflecting Christian charity.” The Cardinal explained that “the university cannot lower itself to the demands of the market and become a mere factory for giving out degrees,” taking into account that “the specific mission of the university is passionate service to the truth.” Thus, there should be a sincere effort to study the serious problems of today's world and find a solution, so that the Catholic university can be “a pioneer in research in all the disciplines it offers.” He also mentioned that the Catholic university should strive to offer “the integral formation of the person, integrating the various forms of knowledge,” and should seek the growth of the person, not only in the intellectual realm, but in all that is part of the human existence. Only in this manner, he said, will we avoid “a world dominated by experts without a soul.” “The mission of the Catholic university is not complete, if it does not aim at evangelization,” the Cardinal said, and he highlighted the fact that this institution “will be what its professors are.” Thus, they should aspire to be “teachers of their students, not just instructors.”
Professor Pedro Morande then gave a talk on “How faith becomes culture,” in which he affirmed that the mission of the Catholic university is called to promote dialogue with the current culture starting from a new synthesis of faith and reason and that culture will come about only when this synthesis is “personally received” by those who participate in the dialogue, thus “offering people a living culture, in which the values derived from the dignity of the human person are the most valuable treasure to be passed on.”
Father Florencio Sanchez, LC spoke on the theme of “The subject for the professor is the student.” He affirmed that what makes a university truly Catholic is when there is a “specific way of implementing the use of reason and the heart in everything, from a faith perspective, in search of the truth and love.” He then commented on the need to reanalyze the role of the university today, in its contents and methods of teaching. In the university, “there should be a new synthesis in every area of university studies, as well as a method that reflects on the limits of each science and the achievements in their conclusions,” he said. In referring to the nucleus of university life, he mentioned the professor-student relationship, which is where the authentic integral formation comes into play, where the university is established as a community and it is what most influences a student over the course of his university studies.
Monsignor Melchor Sanchez de Toca y Alameda focused his talk on the observation that we live in a culture of the word, which has specific intellectual and existential implications that the Catholic university should take into consideration. He thus mentioned that the culture of the word presents a concern for the truth, an attitude of listening – followed by respect, and acknowledgment of the fact that what I receive I cannot manipulate – of communication and of dialogue with another - “which means that in mutual self-giving, the person is not annihilated, but is enriched” - of meaning and reason, versus irrationality or chance “which deny freedom,” - and of communion, i.e. sharing and transmitting to others that which has been discovered.
Archbishop Fernando Sebastian then gave a conference on “The Catholic university in a secularized world.” Commenting on the Bologna Process, he affirmed that “a model is being sought, of a university with common traits that can serve for all of Europe, when we do not even really know too well what it is Europe wants to become.” Moreover, in the case of Catholic universities, the problem continues to grow, as “what is religious (and Catholic) is now provoking an unexplainable rejection.” The Archbishop said that the Catholic university should “see to the philosophical and humanistic formation of its students” so that they may know in what the greatness of a person consists, the meaning of freedom, intelligence, responsibility, and sociability, of death and immortality. Without this knowledge, “there can neither be firm characters nor strong societies, and neither can there be a basis for professors to live the Catholic faith with clarity and serenity in a world like ours, that is so pluralist and confused. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 3/2/2009)