VATICAN - Cardinal Filoni at Urbaniana: "Open to the world in which we are called to work"

Tuesday, 28 March 2017 filoni   pontifical urbaniana university  

Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) - "This feast of the Pontifical Urbaniana University is an event that we gladly celebrate as a family celebration. In this institution, students, professors and staff spend the best hours of their day; it is simply not hours of work, but of preparation, knowledge, study, friendship and hope". This is what Cardinal Fernando Filoni, Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and Grand Chancellor of the Pontifical Urbaniana University said during his homily of the Eucharistic concelebration which he presided this morning on the occasion of the patron feast of the university, which falls on the solemnity of the Annunciation. "The University - he continued - as well as being a family, is a school. Not just any school, but a school that prepares you to life and widens the vision of our vocation: first, human and cultural, but also ethical and spiritual".
In his homily Cardinal Filoni highlighted how Urbaniana has the characteristic of being composed of numerous and different cultural backgrounds, and "in its multicultural human presence, in the context of high human mobility, is an example of how it is possible to live, live with others, confront each other and enrich oneself". The multifaceted presence of pupils and professors refers to the concept of the catholicity of the Church: "Catholicism is universal; it is openness, meeting, respect and appreciation of diversity around a unifying nucleus, which creates unity, not uniformity". "This unifying nucleus, from a theological point of view, is Christ; in Him the union between his divinity and his humanity is actualized, in a concrete and living way".
Reflecting on the liturgical celebration, Cardinal Filoni showed that it recalls "the moment when the Son of God assumed a material body and comes into this world and Mary is called to give her contribution". Mary’s "Yes" was not granted, her answer to the angel's announcement was instead "a fully human act, certainly comforted by grace".
Citing Pope Francis’s Message for World Youth Day 2017, Cardinal Filoni said: "open to the world in which we are called to work; your Churches trust in your preparation, every man and woman, full of hopes and problems, whether Christian or non-Christian, they await your pastoral care. The vision is therefore inclusive and the perspective is universal, ie catholic". (SL) (Agenzia Fides 28/03/2017)


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