This Saturday, September 28, Pope Francis had a meeting with the students of the Catholic University of Louvain, on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the University, created in 1425. The Holy Father returned to the role of the woman in the Church and recalled that she is at the heart of the saving event thanks to Mary’s “yes”. “These are the relationships that express our being in the image of God, man and woman together and not separately!”, he assured.
Jean-Benoît Harel – Vatican City
In the conference room of the Catholic University of Louvain, around 4,000 students welcomed Pope Francis to celebrate 600 years since the founding of their university. After the rector’s welcoming remarks and a letter read by students written based on their reflection on the encyclical Praised yesthe Holy Father rejoiced in the quest for hope, justice and truth that emanated from these questions.
In the introduction, the Sovereign Pontiff castigated the “evil that destroys the environment and people“, of which war is the most brutal expression. When religions are used to do this evil, Francis considered it a “blasphemy» car «God is Father, not master; he is Son and Brother, not dictator; he is a Spirit of love, not of domination».
Nearly 40 years after the visit of Saint John Paul II to this University, Francis called for hope, to maintain confidence in assurance “that evil does not have the last word.
Gratitude, mission, loyalty
Concerning the links between Christianity and ecology, the author of Praised yes first advised to be filled with gratitude towards Creation because “the first to take care of it is God“. He recalled Psalm 8 “To see your sky, the work of your fingers / the moon and the stars that you fixed, / what is man that you think of him, / the son of a man, that you take care of himi?».
After hearing the title Sequoia of the singer Pomme, François gave the “ecological program» of the Church: «we are in the world to preserve its beauty and cultivate it for the good of all, especially posterity, the neighbor in the future“. Opposing “the arrogant indifference of the powerful who always favor economic interest“, the Pope considered that the market is the first obstacle to integral and just human development. “We are hosts, not despots», recalled Francis, encouraging young people to commit to Creation.
Responding to the students, Francis proposed committing to integral development through fidelity to God and to man. “Integral development appeals to our holiness: it is a vocation to a just and happy life, for all“, he assured.
Distinguishing the fact of “manipulate nature or cultivate nature», François warns against this possible amalgamation in the technical world (eugenics, artificial intelligence, etc.) but also in “our inner world».
Who is the woman and who is the Church?
In the students’ letter, one of the students assured that the Church’s position on women seemed incompatible with integral development. “Women are largely absent from Laudato si’“, launched this student, struck by the absence of reference to women in the text as in the theological references, reserved for men. In response, Francis returned to what woman is and what the Church is.
“The Church is the people of God, not a multinational corporation. The woman, in the people of God, is daughter, sister, mother. Like me, I am a son, a brother, a father. These are the relationships that express our being in the image of God, man and woman together and not separately!”
The Pope then recalled the “oui» of Mary, word “at the heart of the saving event“. He felt that the woman is “fruitful welcome, care, vital dedication”, and asked to open our eyes to “the many daily examples of love, from friendship to work, from study to social and ecclesial responsibility; from married life to motherhood, to virginity for the Kingdom of God and for service“. He then repeatedly insisted that “the Church is woman».
Study, a path to self-knowledge
In a final part, Pope Francis was interested in the studies carried out by the thousands of students gathered before him. He insisted on the point that studies are never done alone but, “thanks to those who studied before me – the teachers, the more advanced classmates –, with those who study alongside me in the classroom“. Likewise, once completed, the studies will serve others and the common good, said François. He continued on the importance of thinking about the goals of study.
“Sometimes I study to find one type of job, but end up living based on another. We become a “commodity”. We do not live to work, but we work to live; It’s easy to say, but you have to be committed to putting it into practice consistently.”
Finally, the Sovereign Pontiff focused on the importance of the search for truth. “If we give up seeking the truth together, study becomes an instrument of power, of control over others. She does not serve, but dominates. On the contrary, the truth sets us free», he said, recalling the Gospel of John. “Be seekers and witnesses of the truth», concluded François, a way of becoming and continuing to be “a Catholic University».
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