On 5 November, Pope Francis visited the Gregorian University on the occasion of the Dies Academicus. Present at the event were Father General Arturo Sosa who is the Vice Grand Chancellor of the University, as well as members of staff, faculty and students.

Earlier this year, the Pontifical Gregorian University (Collegium Maximum) the Oriental Institute and the Pontifical Biblical Institute were merged into one under papal directive, unifying the three historic institutions.

In his welcoming remarks, Father Sosa expressed gratitude for the Pope’s visit, saying it is cause for thanksgiving, a confirmation of the University’s mission and a source of hope. He added that the University’s work of teaching contributes to the integral formation of students who are open to the mystery of God present in the complex reality of the world, and are capable of reflecting on the gift of faith in their hearts.

The Rector, Fr Mike Lewis, SJ, traced the history of the recently-merged institutions, highlighting their individual specialties and their contributions to the intellectual life of the Church. He noted that some professors and alumni of the University were called upon to contribute to the work of the recent Synod on Synodality, while others serve in different Dicasteries in Rome. Several alumni have gone on to become Popes, Cardinals and Bishops. Fittingly, 5 November also marks the feast of All the Saints and Blessed of the Society of Jesus, and the Rector pointed out that several saints and blessed are counted among the alumni of the Gregorian University.

Pope Francis in his speech warned against embracing a superficial approach to faith formation, and stressed the importance of not losing sight of the horizon that unites everyone’s paths towards the final goal. Drawing on the example of St Francis Xavier, he impressed upon those gathered the need to be “missionaries out of love for our brothers and sisters” and to “be available to the Lord’s call”.

The Pope went on to underline that the work of formation requires that we put our hearts into it, as without our hearts, formative action would devolve into “arid intellectualism or perverse narcissism”. He declared that “the heart is the starting and ending place of every relationship, with God and with sisters and brothers”.

The Gregorian University traces its origin to the “Roman College” established in 1551 by Saint Ignatius. Exploring the motivation that moved St Ignatius to found the Roman College, Pope Francis said that a sign once hung on the door of a Jesuit house in 16^th Century Rome. The sign read: “Free School of Grammar, Humanities, and Christian Doctrine”. Elaborating on this, he pointed at lessons that can be learnt from that sign. First, the multitude of subjects taught by the Jesuits, blending religious sciences with the humanities. Second, he noted that lessons were offered “gratis” (free). It is this gratuitousness, Pope Francis said, that “opens us to the surprises of God who is mercy...educates without manipulating and binding to itself, that rejoices in growth and fosters imagination”.

The Holy Father called for a university where wisdom is generated not from abstract ideas conceived at a desk alone, but rather from “contact with the life of peoples and the symbols of cultures, in listening to the hidden questions and the cry that rises from the suffering flesh of the poor”. He urged them to “touch this flesh, have the courage to walk in the mud, and get your hands dirty”.

The Pontifical Gregorian University (Collegium Maximum), one of the oldest Pontifical Universities in Rome, offers degrees in different disciplines including theology, canon law, safeguarding, psychology, spirituality, among others. The Pontifical Biblical Institute, founded in 1909 by Pope St Pius X and entrusted to the Society of Jesus, is an institute of studies in Sacred Scripture and related disciplines. The Pontifical Oriental Institute, founded in 1917 by Pope Benedict XV and entrusted to the Society of Jesus in 1922, specializes in Eastern Christian studies.