Earlier this year, the Pontifical Gregorian University – a renowned Jesuit-run institution founded by St Ignatius in the 16th century – merged with the nearby Pontifical Biblical and Oriental institutes.
On Tuesday, 5th November, Pope Francis paid a visit to the newly-merged institution, and delivered a lengthy lectio magistralis to assembled faculty, staff, and students.
‘Beggars for knowledge’
Pope Francis also stressed the necessity of humility in Catholic education.
For too long, he said, “the sacred sciences looked down on everyone else”, with a mentality of “us vs the others” – an approach, he stressed, which led to “many mistakes.”
Now, the Pope said, is the time for teachers in the Church “to be humble, to acknowledge that we do not know everything … This is a complex world and research calls for everyone’s input.”
What is needed, the Pope urged, are universities with “less hierarchy, more tables side-by-side – everyone a beggar for knowledge, touching the wounds of history.”
A broader vision
Reflecting on the recent merger of the Gregorian, the Pope said he had given his approval in the hope that it would not be a case of “mere administrative restructuring”, but rather the occasion for “a redefinition of your mission”.
In this regard, the Pope warned university staff against limiting themselves to “mergers, suspensions and closures” without a broader vision of “what is happening in the world and the Church”.
“Have you asked yourself,” the Pope questioned, “where you are going and why you are doing the things you are doing? You have to know where you’re going, and not lose sight of the horizon.”
The Vatican News
