POPE INAUGURATES ACADEMIC YEAR AT A ROMAN UNIVERSITY

VATICAN CITY, JAN 31, 2002 (VIS) - This morning, the Pope inaugurated the academic year at Rome's "Roma Tre" university, marking the occasion of the tenth anniversary of its foundation. The university currently has eight faculties, 33,000 students and 700 professors.

The ceremony, which began at 9:45 a.m., was held in the aula magna of the faculty of philosophy and literature. Following greetings from the rector, Guido Fabiani, a member of the university's teaching staff made a speech entitled: "The evolution of the concept of peace: a historical itinerary." Letizia Moratti, Italian minister for education, then pronounced a few words.

The Pope arrived at 11 a.m. After receiving greetings from the rector and from a student he delivered an address to those present.

"The essential task of universities," he said, "is to be centers in the quest for truth," such as that concerned with "the laws of knowledge, of coexistence, of the use of the sciences; and more profound truths, such as those involved with the meaning of human action and with the values that motivate individual and community activity."

John Paul II emphasized that "humanity has need of centers of truth. And if the university is a melting pot of knowledge, those who work there must let their own actions be guided by the compass of intellectual honesty, thanks to which they can distinguish the false from the true, the part from the whole, the means from the end."

He went on to say that "individuals are both spiritual and material, capable of spiritualizing matter, rendering it a docile instrument of their own spiritual energy, in other words of their intelligence and will. At the same time, they are capable of giving a material dimension to the spirit."

The Holy Father indicated that "faith illuminates the fundamental frame of reference of the irrefutable values engraved in the hearts of each and all. All we have to do is read history with an objective mind to realize how important religion has been in the formation of cultures, and how much its influence has formed the entire human 'habitat.' To ignore or deny this is not only an error of perspective but also a poor service to the truth about man. Why be afraid to open knowledge and culture to faith? The passion and the rigor of research have nothing to lose in an enlightened dialogue with the values to be found in religion."

"Last Thursday's gathering in Assisi," he concluded, "showed how authentic religious spirit promotes sincere dialogue that opens spirits to mutual comprehension and understanding in the service of the cause of mankind."

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