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| Pope Benedict XVI waves to the crowd as he arrives on the Catholic University of America campus in the pope mobile. |
Pope Benedict XVI arrived on the Catholic University of America campus by pope mobile. He exited his vehicle to hear students yelling, “Yo Pope! Hey Pope!” The former university professor, waving and beaming with a great smile, seemed very much at home in front of the students.
The pope was on campus to address the 221 presidents of
Catholic colleges and universities
and the 194 diocesan directors of Catholic education. This event was part of a six-day tour in the United States that included religious and civic events in Washington, D.C.,
and New York. The tour coincided with the bicentennial of the founding of the first five Catholic dioceses in the United States.
His address took place in a setting that was as comfortable and engaging as a seminar on the Rockhurst University campus. His tone was upbeat and his message was positive. He delivered his remarks in English with a slight German accent.
Some people had speculated and others had hoped his comments would include certain expectations of Catholic colleges and universities. Some even went so far as to predict that academic freedom would be challenged. All of these predictions proved to be unfounded. The pope upheld academic freedom while cautioning against efforts focused upon contradicting faith or betraying a university’s mission. Moreover, he clarified that a university is determined to be Catholic neither by the number of Catholics on campus nor by the orthodoxy of course content. Rather, it’s a matter of “conviction within a community of faith desiring to know the truth which seeks to discover
the good.”
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Thousands gathered at the Catholic University of America to welcome
Pope Benedict XVI on April 16. |
When he spoke of the relation between faith and reason, he asserted that truth purifies reason. He rejected reason standing alone, which he contends results in positivism.
He believes this mentality denies such things as metaphysics and the pursuit of the transcendent, which results in us denying our faith and our need for a moral vision.
“Truth means more than knowledge; knowing the truth leads us to discover the good,” he said.
I especially appreciated his invitation to participate in intellectual charity, which he describes as love prompting the educator to lead the youth to truth. In fact, I found the entire context of the pope’s remarks to be in the form of an invitation. This resonates with how I would characterize the religious environment here at Rockhurst. We must be about providing a religious environment that is invitational rather than one that is expectational.
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| Fr. Curran was in attendance when the pope addressed Catholic educators. |
It is an invitation extended to Catholics and non-Catholics alike. This invitational experience involves ongoing reflection upon what motivates each of us to become and remain a part of this community. And this reflection is consistent with our Ignatian heritage. The results of this reflection will vary with each individual. Over time, the response to this invitation can change, grow and mature. Ultimately, we desire that all our activities are motivated by the love of God. When will we know this to be the case? In the words of St. Ignatius Loyola, when we do all for the greater glory of God (A.M.D.G.).
When the students greeted the pope with cries of “Hey Pope!” I believe they were responding to his invitation for them to know the truth that seeks to discover the good. He had to be touched and impressed by their response, as his smile indicated his approval. I wonder if he was tempted to tell them so in a language they can understand, “Yo, dude!” |
