Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) - “Continue, dear friends, your reflection with regard to a new humanism taking into consideration the great challenges of the present day and striving to conjugate in harmony faith and culture. How necessary it is at this time in history to engage in serious cultural and spiritual research!” This was the advice Pope Benedict XVI gave about ten thousands students and staff from the universities of Rome gathered in St Peter’s Basilica for the traditional Christmas meeting with the Pope. Present also participants at a World Congress for the Pastoral care of Foreign Students organised by the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Itinerant Peoples.
Benedict XVI joined the students at the end of Mass for presided by Cardinal Camillo Ruini, his vicar for Rome diocese and gave brief but meaningful address. After recalling that the traditional meeting was started by “my beloved predecessor Pope John Paul II “ the Pope congratulated Rome’s five medicine faculties for agreeing to work together in various fields to promote respect for human life, and for choosing for the formative path of students and teachers the theme of ‘the transmission of the faith’. The Pope encouraged the students to live with joy the journey of Christian formation “combined with daily efforts to increase knowledge on your respective academic paths. “We must rediscover the beauty of having Christ as our Master of life, the Pope said, and so in freedom and awareness renew our profession of faith in Him”.
The Pope had a special word of greeting for students from other countries, ever more numerous and he said their presence presents the Church with an important field of pastoral activity. He said that young people who go to another country to study face no few difficulties although they have unique opportunity to prepare to make a useful contribution to the development of their country of origin and to take an active part in the mission of the Church. Since Christmas is only a week away the Pope encouraged those present to prepare to welcome the message of Christmas and said slowly with deep conviction: “God became man to live in our midst. Let us prepare to welcome the One who comes to save us with the gift of his own life”. (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 16/12/2005, righe 29, parole 414)
