Speech by Pope Francis to the students of the Catholic University of Leuven, in Belgium

This September 28, 2024, Pope Francis had a meeting with the students of the Catholic University of Leuven, on the third day of his apostolic visit to Belgium.

Below is the Holy Father’s speech:

Dear brothers and sisters, good morning.

Thank you, Madam Rector, for your kind words. Dear students, I am glad to meet you and hear your reflections. In those words I perceive passion and hope, desire for justice, search for truth.

Among the issues that you address, I have been impressed by the question about the future and anguish. We see well how violent and arrogant the evil that destroys the environment and the people is. It seems that he knows no brake. War is its most brutal expression; as are corruption and modern forms of slavery. Sometimes these evils contaminate religion itself, turning it into an instrument of domination. But this is blasphemy. The union of men with God, who is saving Love, becomes slavery. Even the name of the father, which is a revelation of care, becomes an expression of arrogance. God is Father, not a boss; He is a Son and Brother, not a dictator; It is the Spirit of love, not of dominion.

We Christians know that evil does not have the last word, but rather, as they say, its days are numbered. This does not take away our commitment, on the contrary, it increases it: hope is our responsibility.

In this regard, they ask me what relationship there is between Christianity and ecologythat is, what project our faith has regarding the common home of all humanity. I would say it in three words: gratitude, mission y fidelity.

The first attitude is gratitudebecause this house has been donated to us; We are not bosses, we are guests and pilgrims on earth. The first to take care of us is God; We are above all cared for by God, who created the earth and – says Isaiah – “did not create it empty, but formed it to be inhabited” (Is 45,18). And the eighth psalm is full of amazed gratitude: “Seeing the sky, the work of your hands, / the moon and the stars that you have created: / what is man that you think of him, / the human being that you think of him? take care? (Sal 8,4-5). Thank you, Father, for the starry sky and for life in this universe!

The second attitude is mission. We are in the world to guard its beauty and cultivate it for the good of all, especially for posterity, in the near future. This is the “ecological program” of the Church. But no development plan can be carried out if arrogance, violence and rivalry remain in our consciences. It is necessary to go to the source of the matter, which is the heart of man. This is also where the dramatic urgency of the ecological issue comes from: the arrogant indifference of the powerful, who always put economic interests first. As long as this is the case, all exhortations will be silenced or will only be accepted to the extent that it is convenient for the market. And as long as the market comes first, our common home will suffer injustice. The beauty of the gift demands our responsibility: we are guests, not absolute owners. In this sense, dear students, consider culture as the cultivation of the world, not only of ideas.

Here is the challenge of integral development, which requires the third attitude: fidelity. Fidelity to God and man. This development, in fact, refers to all people in all aspects of their lives: physical, moral, cultural, sociopolitical; And this is opposed by any form of oppression and discarding. The Church denounces these abuses, committing itself above all to the conversion of each of its members, of ourselves, to justice and truth. In this sense, integral development appeals to our holiness: it is a vocation to a just and happy life, for all.

The option to be made, therefore, is between manipulating nature and cultivating nature, based on our human nature; Let’s think about eugenics, cybernetic organisms, artificial intelligence. The choice between manipulating and cultivating also concerns our inner world.

Thinking about human ecology leads us to address a topic that concerns you and even more so to me and my predecessors: the role of women in the Church. Aggressions and injustices weigh here, along with ideological prejudices. That is why it is necessary to recover the starting point: who is the woman and who is the Church. The Church is the people of God, not a multinational company. The woman, in the people of God, is a daughter, sister, mother. As I am a son, brother, father. These are relations that express our being image of godman and woman, together, not separately. Women and men are people, not individuals; They are called from the “beginning” to love and be loved. A vocation that is mission. And from here comes its role in society and in the Church (cf. St. John Paul II, Letter. ap. The dignity of woman1).

What is characteristic of women, that is, what is feminine, is not established by consensus or ideologies. And dignity is assured by an original law, not written on paper, but in the flesh. Dignity is an inestimable good, an original quality, that no human law can give or take away. Starting from this common and shared dignity, Christian culture always elaborates anew, in different contexts, the vocation and mission of man and woman and their reciprocal being for the other, in communion. Not one against the other, in opposing claims, but one for the other.

Let us remember that women are at the center of the saving event. From Mary’s “yes,” God in person comes into the world. The woman is a fruitful welcome, care, vital delivery. Let us open our eyes to so many daily examples of love: in friendship and work, in study and social and ecclesial responsibility, in spousal marriage, motherhood and virginity for the Kingdom of God and for service.

You yourselves are here to grow as women and as men. They are on their way, in formation as people. That is why its academic itinerary includes different areas: research, friendship, social service, civil and political responsibility, artistic expressions, among others.

I think about the experience they live every day at this Catholic University of Leuven, and I share three simple and decisive aspects of training: How to study? Why study? Who to study for?

How to study: as in every science, there is not only a method, but also a style. Each person can grow their own. Study, in fact, is always a path to self-knowledge. But there is also a style commonwhich can be shared on the university community. We study together: thanks to those who have studied before me – teachers, more advanced classmates -, with those who study next to me, in the classroom. Culture as self-care involves mutual care.

Second: why study. There is a motive that drives us and an objective that attracts us. It is necessary that they be good, because the meaning of study, the direction of our life, depends on them. Sometimes I study to find a certain type of job, but I end up living based on that. We ourselves become the “merchandise.” You don’t live to work, but you work to live; It’s easy to say, but it takes effort to put it into practice consistently.

Third: who to study for. For oneself? To give an account to others? We study to be able to educate and serve othersespecially with the service of competition and authorized judgment. Before asking ourselves if studying is useful for anything, let’s worry about serving others. someone. So the university degree certifies a capacity for the common good.

Dear students, it is a joy for me to share these reflections with you. And while we do it we perceive that there is a greater reality that illuminates us and surpasses us: the truth. Without the truth, our life loses meaning. Study makes sense when it seeks the truth, and by searching for it we understand that we are made to find it. The truth is found; She is welcoming, available, generous. If we give up seeking the truth together, study becomes an instrument of power, of control over others. It does not serve, but dominates. On the other hand, the truth sets us free (cf. Jn 8,32). Do you want freedom? Be seekers and witnesses of the truth! Trying to be credible and coherent through the simplest everyday decisions. Thus it will become, every day, what it wants to be, that is, a catholic university.

Thanks for this meeting. I heartily bless you and your path of formation. And I ask you not to forget to pray for me. Thank you.