Thursday, December 1, 2016

Speaking with international students

From November 28 to December 2, 2016, the Worldwide Congress of international students is taking place, involving students from 36 different countries from five continents.  The Congress, organized by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants, has as its theme: Pope Francis' Evangelii Gaudium and the moral challenges in the intellectual world for international students toward a healthier society.

At 11:30am this morning, in the Clementine Hall at the Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father received in audience, those who are participating in this world Congress.


Speech of the Holy Father, Pope Francis
addressed to participants taking part in
the gathering of international students

Your Eminences,
Dear brother Bishops and Priests,
Dear students,
Dear brothers and sisters!

It is a pleasure to welcome you on the occasion of the IV World Congress of pastoral care for international students, organized by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerants.  I thank the Cardinal President for having introduced our gathering, and I address a cordial greeting to the pastoral workers and university students who are present.

The theme of your Congress is very interesting: it speaks of moral challenges in the world of international students, in view of a more healthy society.  This is an objective that we must always keep before us: building a healthier society.  It is important that new generations continue in this direction, that they consider themselves responsible for the reality in which we live and are artisans of the future.  The words of Saint Paul are a strong reminder and a source of wise inspiration for new generations today, when he recommends to the young disciple Timothy that he provide an example to the faithful in his words and in his behaviour, in charity, in faith, in purity, and without fear that someone will ridicule him because of his youth (cf 1 Tim 4:12).

In our times, challenges to morality are many and it is not always easy to fight for the affirmation of truth and values, especially when we are young.  But with the help of God, and with the sincere will to do good, every obstacle can be overcome.  I am happy because, if you are here, it is to demonstrate that challenges do not scare u, but rather they motivate us to work harder to build a more humanitarian world.  Never give up and don't allow yourselves to be discouraged; the Spirit of Christ will lead you, if you listen for his voice.

The modern concept of an intellectual is of one engaged in the process of self-realization and in search of personal recognition, often without any concept of his neighbour.  We need to turn our focus toward a more supportive model which is aimed at promoting the common good and seeking peace.  Only in this way will the intellectual world become capable of building a healthier world.  Those who possess the ability to study also have a responsibility to serve and to promote the good of all humanity.  Knowledge is a privileged path toward the integral development of society; and being students in a country other than your own, in a different cultural horizon, allows you to learn new languages, new customs and new traditions.  It allows you to look at the world from a different perspective and to open yourself without fear to others and to different realities.  This leads students, and those who receive them, to become more tolerant and hospitable.  It increases social skills, helps you to grow in your ability to trust yourself and to trust others, it opens and expands your horizons as well as your vision of the future and it gives birth to a desire to build the common good together with others.

Schools and universities are privileged places for the consolidation of consciences that are sensitized toward more cohesive development and to advancing a commitment to evangelization in an interdisciplinary and integrated manner (cf Evangelii Gaudium, 134).  For this reason, I exhort you, teachers and pastoral workers to instil in young people a love for the gospel, a desire to live it concretely and to proclaim it to others.  It is important that the time they spend away from home becomes an occasion for human and cultural growth for students and a point of departure from which they can return to their countries of origin and be ready to give their qualified contribution, possessing an inner urge to share the joy of the Good News.  Students need an education that teaches them to think critically and that offers them a process of maturation in values (cf EG, 64).  In this way, you will be forming young people who thirst for truth and not power, ready to defend values and to live mercy and charity, two of the fundamental pillars of a healthier society.

Personal and cultural enrichment permits young people to more easily enter the labour force, assured of a place in their community and of playing an integral part therein.  On their part, society is called to offer new generations valid opportunities for employment and to avoid the so-called brain drain.  If someone should freely choose to go on to specialize or to work abroad, it is good and fruitful; however it is a pity that properly prepared young people are enticed to leave their countries of origin because there is a lack of opportunity for input.

The phenomenon of international students is nothing new, however it has been intensified because of so-called globalization, which has broken down the spacial and temporal limits, favouring encounter and exchange between cultures.  But here too, we see negative aspects, such as the occurrences of certain closures, defence mechanisms in the face of diversity, interior walls that do not permit you to look your brother or sister in the eyes and become aware of their real needs.  Even among young people - and this is very sad - the globalization of indifference can creep in, making them incapable of being compassionate to others' painful cries (EG, 54).  Thus it happens that these negative effects are reflected in peoples and in communities.  Instead, dear friends, we venture to guess that the way you live globalization can create positive outcomes and enact great potential.  In fact, you students, in spending time away from your countries, in different families and contexts, can develop a remarkable ability to adapt, to learn how to be guardians of others as though they were your brothers and sisters, and of creation as our common home, and this is a crucial part of making the world more human.  The training courses can accompany you and help to orient you young students in this direction, and they can do this with the freshness of current events and the boldness of the gospel, in order to form new evangelizers who are ready to infect the world with the joy of Christ, even to the ends of the earth.

Dear young people, Saint John Paul II loved to call you sentinels of the morning.  I encourage you to be sentinels every day, with your eyes fixed on Christ and on history.  In this way, you will be able to proclaim to others the truth that Jesus saves, and shed the light of faith in a world that is too often obscured by the darkness of indifference, self-centredness and war.  I entrust you to the maternal protection of Blessed Mary, our Mother.  I bless you, your studies, your friendships and your missionary commitment.  And you too, I ask you please not to forget to pray for me.

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