Vatican
City, 22 September 2013 (VIS) – Pope Francis met with the world of
culture in the regional theological faculty of Cagliari, managed by
Jesuit priests. The pontiff spoke of encountering paths of hope which
open up new horizons to our society; of solidarity as a way of
making history as a vital environment in which conflicts, tensions,
and opposites create a harmony that generates life. The University,
as a point of encounter between believers and non-believers, is a
context in which faith can make a contribution without encroaching on
the space of reason.
The
Holy Father began by speaking on the passage from the Gospel about
the path to Emmaus, and how we encounter the disillusionment,
deception and crisis of the two men in our current situation. “When
I speak of crisis”, he said, “I do not think of a tragedy. … We
speak of danger, but also of opportunity. This is the sense in which
I use the word. Certainly, each historical age brings critical
elements with it, but, at least in these last four centuries, we have
never seen the fundamental certainties that constitute the life of
human beings so shaken as they have been in our age”.
“Faced
with this crisis, there may be resignation, pessimism with regard to
every possibility of effective action. … Crisis may transform into
a moment of purification and reflection on our social and economic
models and a certain concept of progress that has given rise to
delusions, in order to recover all dimensions of the human person.
Discernment is not blind, or provisional; it is carried out on the
basis of ethical and spiritual criteria, requiring that we question
ourselves about what is good, and that we make reference to values
belonging to spiritual and transcendent vision; the person may never
simply be considered as 'human material'! This is perhaps the hidden
suggestion of functionalism”. Francis thus described the vital
function of the University, as a locus for wisdom in which
discernment is shaped and hope is nurtured. A place for “the
development of a culture of nearness and for the formation of
solidarity”.
Francis
affirmed that in relation to this concept of encounter in crisis, “I
have found in young politicians another way of thinking about
politics. I would not say better or worse, but a different way. They
speak differently, they are searching … their music is different to
our music. We must not be afraid!”, he encouraged them. Let us
listen to them, speak with them. They have intuition: let us be open
to their intuition. I say young politicians because that is what I
have heard, but young people in general look for a different key. To
help us towards encounter, it will help us to hear the music of these
politicians, these scientists, these young thinkers”.
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