Pope: Universities should be "pathways to the heart of God".

Driven by the conviction that proclaiming Jesus Christ “is an integral part of the Christian message of salvation,” Catholic universities are called to become “journeys of the mind toward God,” Pope Leo told members of Organization of Catholic Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean (ODUCAL) on Friday morning.

The Holy Father explained that Catholic higher education proposes no less than “to seek the integral development of the human person, forming intellects with a critical sense, believing hearts, and citizens committed to the common good – and all this with excellence, competence, and professionalism.”

Creating encounters between faith and culture

He highlighted, among goals of the educational network, the aim of advancing Catholic higher education and serving society “by creating encounters between faith and culture, in order to proclaim the Gospel within the university setting.”

“This shared journey already speaks volumes,” he said, “because it expresses the very mission for which the university was born within the Catholic Church: to be an ‘incomparable centre of creativity and the dissemination of knowledge for the good of humanity,’ in which ‘the combined effort of intellect and faith allows people to reach the full measure of their humanity.’”

Expressions of God's love for every person

Citing his predecessor Francis, Pope Leo said the Catholic university “remains one of the best instruments that the Church offers our time, and is an expression of that love which animates every action of the Church, namely, God’s love for every person.”

Acknowledging the challenges facing education today, Pope Leo encouraged ODUCAL to “continue the mission the Church entrusts to you” with creativity, firm in the knowledge “that grace sustains you.”

After thanking them once again for their efforts in pursuing “this great task,” Pope Leo entrusted them to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Seat of Wisdom, before offering his Apostolic Blessing.