Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Mexico City (Agenzia Fides) - Mgr Guillermo Moreno, vicar general of the archdiocese of Mexico City, on behalf of Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera, grand chancellor of the Pontifical University of Mexico has called on the Pontifical University of Mexico to assume leadership in Mexico and the world, as academy, alma mater of the universality of Christian thought in this Jubilee year, 25 January 2007 to 25th January 2008, to mark the 25th anniversary of the College's reopening on 29th June 1982. Among the anniversary initiatives promoted by the University, a series of conferences from 26-28 September.
Bishop Sergio Obeso Rivera, emeritus bishop of Rapala, spoke of the University's plans underlining its historic importance. Bishop Carlos Aguiar Retes, president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Mexico and vice chancellor of the University, recalled that "the University's mission is to generate culture and in the case of a Catholic university to generate culture with the leaven and the values of the Gospel." The Bishop said "We live in changing times in which the present cultural model is breaking up" hence the need "to finds ways to preserve the values of God's Kingdom in the life style of our society". The University especially is called to generate human culture which "rises up proclaiming the sense of the truth and explaining in the light of Revelation the mysteries of man and the world".
Among the things the Bishops expect the University to offer he mentioned: serve the dioceses by forming qualified pastoral workers and its presence and participation at Church events; serve the Bishops' Conference collaborating in the Bishops' collegial mission; service to other public and private Catholic universities with the mission to lead and promote relations and collaboration among universities; service to society and the nation helping to form a more objective and positive public opinion. The president of the Bishops' Conference asked the university to promote a rereading of the country's history, "especially with regard to the presence and the participation of the Catholic Church, acknowledging successes and errors, to prepare for a purification of memory in order to forget the wounds of the past and foster the unity we need for Mexico to reach the civic and democratic maturity it deserves".
The University is the heir of the Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico opened by the first Bishop of Mexico, Fray Juan di Zumárraga, and the first Viceroy della of New Spain, Antonio de Mendoza. The Pontifical University intends to consolidate itself as the most important institution of theological formation on the continent. It has carious Ecclesiastical Faculties and has formed in these 25 years 2,898 priests and seminarians, 3,545 religious and 1,741 lay people from 77 dioceses and 150 religious institutes. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 1/10/2007; righe 35; parole 479)
