Growing together

What are the future perspectives of European universities? Who are the students of today? How did the science-faith relationship change? Some sixty delegates for University Pastoral Care from Europe’s Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE), along with representatives of associations and ecclesial movements will be trying to provide answers in the course of the European Congress titled “Formation, education and the Gospel”, scheduled to take place in Munich (Germany) from 27-30 January 2011. The meeting will be marked by numerous opportunities for prayer. In particular, on Saturday 29 January Congress participants will meet with the university community of the Ludwig-Maximilian Atheneum. On the same day they will pay homage to Christian students who adopted non-violent methods to protest against the Nazi regime in Germany. A press conference is scheduled for Friday January 28, with Cardinal Reinhard Marx, archbishop of München and Freising.A more fruitful European service. “The overall purpose of the Congress is to evaluate and collect experiences, while reflecting on sustainable ways and priority areas for future cooperation in the field of European university pastoral work in conjunction with the CCEE Committee Catechesis-School-University (CSU)”, Rev. Ferenc Janka, Secretary of the Commission, told SIR Europe. “It is to be hoped that this moment of encounter will further prompt fruitful pastoral service and care at European level”, he added. In reality, it is not a matter of providing “lineamenta” or suggesting areas of debate, since “during the annual meetings when the delegates address the theme of university pastoral care they naturally identify it with their national experiences”, he said. Major differences between Countries. The Secretary explained: “University pastoral work varies a lot from one European country to the next. This is due to the specific situation of the local Church, which ranges from the figures and the percentage of Catholics in a given Country to the financial situation of the Church, from the data on the role of the laity in ecclesial life – notably as relates to university pastoral care – to the Church’s influence on scientific and social discourse, from universities’ historical background to the presence of religious orders and movements in the academic environment. Within national frameworks, to the light of the guidelines provided by bishops and national delegates, the presence of Catholic professors, students’ individual situations and that of Catholic universities, the connection between university chaplaincies and parishes or dioceses, along with the ecumenical – in some countries interreligious – profile of university chaplaincies, are equally acknowledged.A project begun in 2006. Despite these difficulties, or rather as a result of these, in 2006 CCEE deemed necessary to enrich the Catechesis and School Commission with a new department for University pastoral care, which is chaired by Msgr. Marek Jedraszewski (Poland). It has a secretary, Msgr. Lorenzo Leuzzi (Italy), and an expert, father Agustín del Agua (Spain). Until today, with the support of the Vicarage of Rome, the department has organized many initiatives, such as annual meetings for bishops and national delegates for university pastoral care, annual meetings of the working group of university chaplains, rosary prayers by university students with the Holy Father, along with European meetings for university professors in 2007, and with students in 2009. The program. Msgr. Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster and President of the CCEE Commission and of the Commission for Catechesis, School and University will open the Congress with a speech on Newman. Panel lectures will focus on an anthropological and sociological analysis of the situation of students and teachers. Faith experiences in the academic environment will be shared with participants. Cardinal Peter Erdo, archbishop of Esztergom-Budapest, president of the Bishops’ Conference of Hungary and CCEE President will address the theme of the relationship between faith and culture. His Eminence will probe into the theme with a lecture on “Church and Sciences. Dialogue with Science and Culture”. Speeches on European experiences, plenary debates and workshops conclude the program.