VATICAN CITY, APR 6, 2001 (VIS) - Today at 11:30 in the Paul VI Hall, Pope John Paul received the grand chancellor, rector, faculty and students of Rome's Jesuit-run Pontifical Gregorian University on the occasion of the 450th anniversary of its institution by St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus or Jesuits. A number of cardinals and bishops also were present this morning, as was Fr. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, superior general of the Jesuits.
The university, founded as the Collegio Romano or Roman College, today has over 3,400 students who come from 130 countries.
In his talk, the Holy Father pointed out that St. Ignatius entrusted the Roman College "with the task of promoting reasoned and systematic reflection on the faith to favor the correct preaching of the Gospel and the cause of Catholic unity in a social context marked by serious divisions and worrisome seeds of separation."
St. Ignatius' intuition was "providential," he added. "With changing times and situations, the service performed by the Gregorian ... has become ever more incisive and relevant. ... In the face of the challenges of today's society, this is the moment for a courageous relaunching of your institution, ... so that the memory of the past ... becomes commitment to the present and prophecy for the future."
John Paul II observed that "the specific identity of your academic center and its structural link with the Society of Jesus call you to confirm several basic orientations which have always guided your activity." In particular the Pope noted the threefold fidelity that marks the Jesuits and the University in its "reasoned and systematic reflection on faith": fidelity to the Pope, to the Holy See and to the Magisterium.
He stated that "full fidelity to the Magisterium is a condition which, as your centuries-old experience shows, does not mortify but rather favors to an even greater degree the ecclesial service of theological research and teaching. The changed scenarios of culture in our day call for the teachers and students of your university to be equipped with a solid inner equilibrium, a clear firmness of mind and spirit and a deep humility of heart."
In all that you do, the Pope urged, "may docility to the Spirit be the criteria which orients your research and your daily work. ... Continue to refer to the luminous figure of the great missionary (in China), Fr. Matteo Ricci, ... who, in speaking of the Gospel, knew how in every circumstance to find the appropriate cultural approach to his listeners."
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