Common responsibility

European universities “can become a qualified pole of attraction for the formation of the new generations, but only on condition that they rediscover their “identity” on the basis of their “Christian roots”, declared Monsignor MICHAEL MILLER , secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, in presenting a seminar on the “Bologna Process” in the Vatican Press Room on 30 March. The theme of the seminar, held in recent days in the Synod’s Aula Nuova, was “The cultural heritage and academic values of the European Universities and the attractions of Europe as a space for higher education. Held behind closed doors, the seminar was organized by the Congregation for Catholic Education, in collaboration with UNESCO-CEPES and the Council of Europe and under the auspices of the European Commission: it was attended by 240 delegates, representing 42 countries, most of them European, but with some participants from the Americas, Asia and the Far East. On the afternoon of 31 March the seminar held its only public session, dedicated to the theme: “The European universities: their cultural responsibility and role in the construction of Europe”. The delegates were received in audience by the Holy Father (a former profession in various theological faculties in Germany) on 1st April. THE RICHNESS OF “DIVERSITY”. “Europe – said JAN SEDLAK , director of UNESCO-CEPES – is justly proud of its diversity”, but “to preserve and foster” its cultural, ethnic and religious diversities “we must have a strong consciousness of the common values and objectives that can save us from the forces that led Europe to two world wars and various types of totalitarian regimes”. At a time of “major reforms” in which “there is a tendency to emphasize short-term ends and immediate gratification – pointed out SJUR BERGAN , director of the Department for Higher Education of the Council of Europe – it’s important that all those involved in higher education in Europe should take the time to reflect on why we are here and whence we come: on the objectives of higher education, and on the academic heritage of Europe”. On the contrary, according to Bergan, “most of the current debate is focused on the labour market”, thus concentrating exclusively on the “economic aspects” and ignoring “fundamental points” such as “the introduction to the labour market” and “preparation for life as active citizens in a democratic society”. “CHRISTIAN ROOTS”. “The Church undoubtedly played a very important role in the birth of the Universities”, given that almost all the most ancient Universities “were founded either by the Popes or with the strong participation of the Church”, recalled Cardinal ZENON GROCHOLEWSKI , Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education. He further underlined the fact that “the Universities and ecclesiastical Faculties either “run by the Holy See” or “linked to it”, since they confer academic degrees in its name, are in particular incorporated in the “Bologna Process”; the over 1,300 Catholic Universities scattered all over the world, on the other hand, “do not form part the Bologna Process as institutions of the Holy See”, but are inserted “in the situation and legislation of the individual countries”. At the same time, however, they “maintain their Catholic character” by observing the prescriptions of the Apostolic Constitution “Ex Corde Ecclesiae”, the first specific pontifical document of a legislative nature on the Catholic Universities, issued by John Paul II on 15 August 1990 and considered by the same Pope their “Magna Charta”. TOWARDS A “COMMON EUROPEAN SPACE”. Forming, by 2010, a “European space of higher education”: that, recalled Monsignor ANGELO VINCENZO ZANI , under-secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, is the main aim of the appeal signed in Bologna in 1999 by Great Britain, France, Germany and Italy and immediately after endorsed by the representatives of 29 European countries; today 45 European countries, as well as various international institutions and organizations, adhere to the “Bologna process”. “The adoption of a system of academic qualifications of easy consultation and comparison, to promote European employability and the competitiveness of the system of European higher education in relation with the rest of the world; and the promotion of mobility for students, teachers, researchers and administrative personnel with the recognition and evaluation of the period spent in Europe in the field of research and teaching, without prejudice to the rights already acquired: these are the specific objectives of the “Bologna Process”, said Zani. He also stressed that “the most significant final outcome of this process will consist in the mutual recognition of academic qualifications, achieved in the university systems of the various countries that subscribe to the Declaration”.