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This morning, the Holy Father Leo XIV visited the Pontifical Lateran University on the occasion of the inauguration of the Academic Year.

The following is the address delivered by the Pope to those present:

 

Address of the Holy Father

Dear brothers and sisters,

I greet the Grand Chancellor Cardinal Reina, whom I thank for his words, the Rector Magnificus Monsignor Amarante, the members of the Higher Coordination Council, the lecturers, the students, auxiliary staff, and the civil and religious authorities present.

I am pleased to be here among you, at the Pontifical Lateran University, for the inauguration of the 253rd academic year of its founding. It is a special occasion, in which, while we look with gratitude at the long history that precedes us, we also look forward to the mission that awaits us, the paths to be explored, the service to be offered to the Church in today's reality and in the face of future challenges. A grateful look at the past, therefore, but also eyes and hearts focused on the future , because there is a need for the valuable service rendered by the university.

Indeed, every university is a place of study, research, formation, relationships and connections with the reality of which it is a part. In particular, the ecclesiastical and pontifical universities, founded and approved by the Apostolic See, are communties in which the “necessary cultural mediation of the faith, while articulated in a reflection open to dialogue with other fields of knowledge, finds its primary and perennial source in Jesus Christ”. [1]

1. A long history between the Bishops of Rome and the Pontifical Lateran University

Among academic institutions, the Lateran University has an entirely special bond with the Successor of Peter, and this has been a constitutive feature of its identity and mission since its origins, when in 1773 Clement XIV entrusted the school of theology of the Roman College to the secular clergy, requesting that the institution depend on the Pope for the formation of its priests. From that moment on, all subsequent Popes have maintained and strengthened a privileged relationship with what would become the current Lateran University. Among them were Blessed Pius IX, who established the structure, still in force today, of the four faculties: Theology, Philosophy, Canon Law, and Civil Law, with the power to confer academic degrees in Utroque Iure ; Leo XIII, who founded the Institute of Higher Literature; Pius XII, who established the Pontifical Pastoral Institute at the University; Saint John XXIII, who conferred the title of University on the institution; and Saint Paul VI, who, already a professor in these halls, visited the University shortly after his election and reaffirmed the close bond between it and the Roman Curia.

This special relationship was emphasized by Saint John Paul II, who said: “You constitute, in a special way, the Pope’s University : undoubtedly an honorific title, but for that very reason onerous”. With equally affectionate words, this bond was reaffirmed by Pope Benedict and Pope Francis; at the behest of the latter, two cycles of studies were established: in Peace Sciences and in Ecology and Environment.

2. My hope for the Pontifical Lateran University

In reiterating and confirming all that has been established and granted by my venerable Predecessors, I wish to point out the particular mission of the Pontifical Lateran University in the present circumstances.

Unlike other distinguished academic institutions, including those in Rome, this University does not have a founder's charism to preserve, deepen and develop, but its particular orientation is the teaching of the Pope. By its nature and mission, therefore, it constitutes a privileged centre where the teaching of the universal Church is elaborated, received, developed and contextualized. From this point of view, it is an institution to which even the Roman Curia can refer for its daily work.

At the same time, academic reflection, inspired by the Petrine charism, opens itself to interdisciplinary, international and intercultural perspectives. This mission finds its differentiated application in the four Faculties and two Institutes present on this campus, and in the three Institutes ad instar facultatis , with external locations: the Pontifical Patristic Institute Augustinianum , of the Augustinians; the Pontifical Alfonsian Academy for the study of Moral Theology, run by the Redemptorists; and the Pontifical Claretianum Institute of Theology of Consecrated Life, run by the Claretians.

To these must be added the 28 Institutes associated in various ways on three continents – Europe, Asia and America – both with the Faculty of Theology and with the Institutum Utriusque Iuris : a broad and differentiated reality, an expression of the richness of cultures and experiences and, at the same time, of the search for unity and fidelity to Petrine teaching.

Dear friends, today we have an urgent need to reflect on faith in order to be able to articulate it in relation to current cultural scenarios and challenges, but also to counter the risk of cultural emptiness which, in our era, is becoming increasingly pervasive. In particular, the Faculty of Theology is called to reflect on the depository of faith and to bring out its beauty and credibility in different contemporary contexts, so that it may appear as a fully human proposal, capable of transforming the lives of individuals and of society, of prompting prophetic changes with regard to the struggles and poverty of our time and encouraging the search for God. This mission requires that the Christian faith be communicated and transmitted in the various environments of life and ecclesial action, and for this reason I consider the service provided by the Pastoral Institute to be of vital importance.

In the Lateran University, the study of philosophy (cf. Veritatis gaudium , Art. 81 § 1) must be directed towards the search for truth through the resources of human reason, open to dialogue with cultures and above all with Christian Revelation, for an integral development of the human person in all its dimensions. It is an important commitment, even in the face of the sometimes defeatist attitude that characterizes contemporary thought, as well as in relation to the emerging forms of rationality linked to transhumanism and posthumanism. 

The Faculties of Law, Canon Law and Civil Law, which have distinguished our University for centuries, are called to study and teach Law through the broadest possible comparison between the legal systems of civil law and that of the Catholic Church. In particular, I encourage you to consider and study in depth the administrative processes, which are an urgent challenge for the Church.

Finally, the study programmes in Peace Studies and Ecology and Environment deserve a special mention, as they will take on a more defined institutional form over the years. The issues they address are an essential part of the recent Magisterium of the Church, which, established as a sign of the covenant between God and humanity, is called upon to form peacemakers and agents of justice who build and bear witness to the Kingdom of God. Peace is certainly a gift from God, but at the same time it requires women and men capable of building it every day and supporting processes towards an integral ecology at the national and international levels. I therefore ask my University to continue to develop and strengthen these two study programmes at the inter- and trans-disciplinary levels and, if necessary, to integrate them with other courses.

3. The formation of people at the heart of the mission of the Pontifical Lateran University

All this relates to the educational mission of the University in general, but I would also like to imagine with you the Lateran University as a space which – as I said at the beginning – has its eyes and heart focused towards the future, and engages with contemporary challenges through some particular dimensions which I will briefly highlight.

The first is this: reciprocity and fraternity must be at the heart of education. Today, unfortunately, the word “person” is often used as a synonym for “individual”, and the appeal of individualism as the key to a successful life has disturbing implications in every area: people focus on self-promotion, the primacy of the self is fuelled and cooperation is difficult, there is a growth in prejudices and walls against others, especially those who are different, the service of responsibility is exchanged for solitary leadership and, in the end, misunderstandings and conflicts multiply. Academic training helps us to move away from self-referentiality and promotes a culture of reciprocity, otherness and dialogue. Against what the Encyclical Fratelli tutti defines as the “virus” of “radical individualism” (no. 105), I ask you to cultivate reciprocity through relationships based on gratuitousness and experiences that foster fraternity and dialogue between different cultures. The Pontifical Lateran University, enriched by the presence of students, teachers and staff from five continents, represents a microcosm of the universal Church: be, therefore, a prophetic sign of communion and fraternity.

The second dimension I would like to mention is scientific rigour , which must be promoted, defended and developed. Academic service is often not given the appreciation it deserves, partly because of deep-rooted prejudices that unfortunately also exist within the ecclesial community. Sometimes there is a perception that research and study are not useful for real life, that what matters in the Church is pastoral practice rather than theological, biblical or legal preparation. The risk is that of slipping into the temptation to simplify complex issues in order to avoid the effort of thinking, with the danger that, even in pastoral action and its language, we may fall into banality, approximation or rigidity.

Scientific research and the effort of research are necessary. We need lay people and priests who are prepared and competent. Therefore, I urge you not to let your guard down on scientific rigour, pursuing a passionate search for truth and a close dialogue with other sciences, with reality, with the problems and struggles of society.

This requires that the University have well-trained teachers who are in a position – pastorally, legally and economically – to devote themselves to academic life and research; that students be motivated and enthusiastic, willing to study rigorously. It requires that the University engage in dialogue with other centres of study and teaching, so that new paths can be explored from this inter- and trans-disciplinary perspective.

The third dimension that I briefly mention is that of the common good . The goal of the educational and academic process, in fact, must be to form people who, in the logic of gratuitousness and in their passion for truth and justice, can be builders of a new world, one of solidarity and fraternity. The University can and must spread this culture, becoming a sign and expression of this new world and of the search for the common good. 

Conclusion

Dear friends, a distinguished theologian of this University, Professor Marcello Bordoni, in one of his reflections on the relationship between Christology and inculturation, states that it is necessary to take on the task of thinking about faith and “dialogue with the world, with its changing history, which often challenges the faith of Christians in the face of new problems and new situations in life”, and  “constitutes the training ground for this commitment, which is the ‘effort of the concept’” (M. BORDONI, Theological Reflection on the Truth of Christian Revelation , in Path 2002/2, 263).

I hope you will to continue to explore the mystery of the Christian faith with this passion and to always practise on the training ground of dialogue with the world, with society, with today's questions and challenges. The Lateran University occupies a special place in the Pope's heart, and the Pope encourages you to dream big, to imagine possible spaces for the Christianity of the future, to work with joy so that everyone may discover Christ and, in Him, find the fullness to which they aspire.

Thank you! And I wish you a happy academic year!

________________________

[1] Letter of the Holy Father Francis to bishops in support of the Pontifical Lateran University , 13 December 2024).

Appointment of bishop of Vélez, Colombia

The Holy Father has appointed the Reverend José Camilo Arbeláez Montoya, of the clergy of the metropolitan archdiocese of Medellín, until now parish priest of La Visitación , as bishop of Vélez, Colombia.

Curriculum vitae

Msgr. José Camilo Arbeláez Montoya was born on 18 June 1961 in Bogotá. He graduated in veterinary medicine from the Universidad de Antioquia . After studying theology and philosophy at the Seminario Mayor para profesionales Juan Pablo II in Medellín and at the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana in Medellín , he obtained a licentiate in moral theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome.

He was ordained a priest on 25 November 1995 for the metropolitan archdiocese of Medellín.

He has held the following offices: parish vicar of La Divina Eucaristía and vice rector of the minor seminary of Medellín (1996), parish priest of San Andrés Apostol (1996-1998), chaplain of the Clinic (1998) and Faculty of Medicine (2001-2004) of the Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana , ecclesiastical counsellor of archdiocesan (2001-2011) and national (2005-2015) Catholic Charismatic Renewal , archdiocesan vice chancellor (2011-2014), parish priest of Nuestra Señora de Lourdes (2011-2014), rector of the Seminario Mayor para profesionales Juan Pablo II in Medellín (2011-2014), parish priest of La niña Maria (2014-2021), archpriest of the San Marcos Evangelista zone (2014-2016), and president of the Pan y paraíso Foundation (since 2021). To date, he has served as parish priest of La Visitación in Medellín.

This morning, the Holy Father received in audience:

- Archbishop Salvatore Fisichella, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization (Section for Fundamental Questions regarding Evangelization in the World);

- His Eminence Cardinal Arthur Roche, prefect of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments;

- The Reverend Robert A. Dowd, president of the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, United States of America, with the vice president, the Reverend Austin Collins.

- Inauguration of the Academic Year of the Pontifical Lateran University.

This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the participants in the Ordinary Federal Assembly of the Federation of Augustinian Monasteries in Italy.

The following is the address delivered by the Pope to those present at the meeting:

 

Address of the Holy Father

In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Peace be with you.

Good morning, welcome!

I do not know if it is Providence, the coincidence that it is on exactly 13 November, the Feast of all the saints of the Order, that we meet – a beautiful gift for everyone!

I am very pleased to meet you on the occasion of your Ordinary Federal Assembly. I greet the newly-elected President with best wishes, and I thank her predecessor for her work.

The Federation of Augustinian Monasteries in Italy brings together different monastic realities, united by the same charism, and this is particularly significant at a time when the entire Church is committed to deepening and promoting her synodal dimension. Pope Francis has reminded us how important it is, in the sequela Christi , to walk together: to listen together to the voice of the Spirit and “to look others in the eye and listen to what they have to say, to build rapport, to be sensitive to the questions of our sisters and brothers, to let ourselves be enriched by variety” ( Homily at the Opening Mass of the Synod on Synodality , 10 October 2021). It is an intrinsic value in the very nature of the People of God, and of a prophetic witness of charity that is particularly useful today, in a world in many ways increasingly less predisposed to dialogue and sharing.

In this context, I would like to indicate some aspects of your presence and your mission of contemplation, your mission of being contemplatives in the Church today.

The first is that of living and bearing witness to the joy of the union with God. Saint Augustine left us some beautiful pages in this regard. In his Confessions , he speaks about a joy granted to those who serve the Lord out of pure love (cf. 10:22-32) and concludes: “The happy life is this – to rejoice unto You, in You, and for You; this it is, and there is no other” ( ibid .). Full joy for man, especially for the Christian, is in communion with the Lord, in that intimacy with the heavenly Spouse to whom you, by vocation, dedicate your entire life.

As we know, this was also the great desire of the Saint Bishop of Hippo; a dream that he had to renounce due to the commitments of his ministry. The first invitation I address to you, then, is to devote yourselves with undivided love to this calling, embracing cloistered life with enthusiasm: the liturgy, common and personal prayer, adoration, meditation on the Word of God, mutual help in community life. This will give you peace and consolation, and to those who knock on the doors of your monasteries, a message of hope more eloquent than a thousand words.

This brings us to the second dimension of your presence in the Church, which I would like to emphasize: the witness of charity. In the Augustinian ideal, you are called, faithful to the Rule, to imitate in fraternal communion the life of the first Christian community (cf. Regula 1, 1-3). The Doctor gratiae said: “The Lord grant that you may observe all these precepts in a spirit of charity as lovers of spiritual beauty, giving forth the good odour of Christ in the holiness of your lives” (cf. 2 Cor 2:15)” ( Regula 8:1). To spread the good scent of God throughout the world, then, strive to love one another with sincere affection, as sisters, and to carry in your hearts, in secret, every man and woman in this world, to present them to the Father in your prayers. Without any fanfare, be attentive and caring towards one another and be a model of care for all, wherever the need arises and circumstances permit. In a society so focused on outward appearances, where people sometimes do not hesitate to violate the respect of others and their feelings in pursuit of a spotlight and applause, may your example of silent and hidden love help others to rediscover the value of daily and discreet charity, focused on the substance of loving one another and free from the slavery of appearances.

A third important theme that I would like to focus on is that of the Federation itself. The Venerable Pius XII already advocated that this form of association be promoted in monastic life “in order to achieve an easier and more convenient distribution of offices, a temporary transfer of religious from one monastery to another, which is useful and often necessary for various reasons, mutual economic assistance, coordination of work, defence of common observance and other reasons” (Apostolic Constitution Sponsa Christi Ecclesia , 21 November 1950). Pope Francis strongly reiterated the importance of moving in this direction in the Apostolic Constitution Vultum Dei quaerere (cf. no. 30), which was followed by precise implementation guidelines in the Instruction Cor orans , so that “monasteries which share the same charism do not remain isolated but keep it faithfully and, giving each other mutual fraternal help, live the indispensable value of communion” (Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life, Instruction Cor orans , 25 March 2018, 86).

This all highlights how much the Church appreciates the forms of collaboration mentioned, as well as the need for everyone to promote and live out their membership in a concrete way, adhering to the initiatives that are proposed, even at the national level, and opening up, where necessary, to special opportunities for support such as affiliation. It is a demanding challenge, but one we cannot shy away from, even at the cost of making difficult choices and sacrifices, and overcoming a certain temptation to “self-referentiality” that can sometimes seep into our circles. This will certainly bring great benefits to communities in various fields, not least the fundamental one of formation. Let us remember what Saint Augustine said: “What you desire is excellent, and well worthy of your love … The proper effect of your eagerness is to lead you to submit to the right method, instead of rebelling against it; for without this method you cannot attain what you so eagerly long for” ( Contra Faustum , 22, 53).

Dear friends, thank you once again for your presence and for the prayerful support you give to all of God’s People. I too assure you of my remembrance in prayer and I bless you from my heart. Thank you!

“We have not caught anything, but at your word I will let down the nets”  (Luke 5:5)

Dear brothers and sisters,

in this Jubilee Year 2025 the central message of hope accompanies us. In his convocation of the same Jubilee, Pope Francis began by mentioning St. Paul: “hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5). Without a doubt, the Apostle to the Nations had traveled the seas many times, even been shipwrecked, although always fortified by hope in Christ. And how can we not recall the ancient ways that Christian pilgrims traveled not only on foot but also by sea?

Put out into the deep and let down the nets! Christ says to his disciples. This is a call to hope, to have faith! And St. Peter answers: “"Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets!” (Luke 5:5). This is what fishermen do every day. They let down their nets with hope.

Each since 1998, is celebrated the World Day of Fishing is celebrated on 21 November. Its objective is to call attention to the way of life in the fishing sector. It also supports sustainable fishing, recognizing and rendering homage to the fishing communities of all the world and highlighting the importance of this activity for human life and the health of ecosystems. Besides the Jubilee, this year marks the tenth anniversary of the encyclical  Laudato si’  (LS) of Pope Francis, which dedicates significant attention to the care of the seas and oceans, considering them part of the “common home” and of the global ecological equilibrium. “Many of the poor live in areas particularly affected by phenomena related to warming, and their means of subsistence are largely dependent on natural reserves and ecosystemic services such as (…) fishing” (LS 25). Pope Francis also referred to destructive methods of fishing with their fateful consequences and also linked the crisis of the oceans with unjust working conditions in the fishing industry, the trafficking in persons and the impact on impoverished coastal communities. (cf. LS 33, 41, 142). The seas are not only a physical reality, but also a spiritual space of interdependence between the human being and all Creation. In a special way, fishermen can be guardians of Creation. Lamentably, many fishermen face storms far beyond the seas: low income, job insecurity, poor working conditions, being far from their families. We must not forget that behind each catch there is a life, a family, a call to integral development!

Highly industrialized fishing is also a great threat for artisanal fleets as it decreases the catch that remains. In addition, the large ships leave contaminated residues that damage coastal ecosystems. On board the large industrial fishing tankers, the crews remain for months, living in reduced and uncomfortable spaces, away from their families, with work hours that often exceed legislated limits. Many of them are migrants, who in some cases are contracted under discriminatory conditions. So, the fishing sector in general has a sinister side: according to the International Labor Organization, fishing and the occupations related to it are some of the most dangerous professions (cf.  Safety and Health in the Fishing Industry: Report for discussion at the Tripartite Meeting on Safety and Health in the Fishing Industry , Geneva, 1999). By contrast, St. Pope John Paul II reminds us: “human work is a key, probably the essential key, to the whole social question, if we try to see that question really from the point of view of man's good” (LE 3).

The recent apostolic exhortation  Dilexi te  (DT) of Pope Leo XIV has some illuminating paragraphs on the sinful structures that cause extreme poverty and inequalities in. These structures of injustice are “social sin” (DT, 90-93). This also applies to the world of fishing, considering that in the value chain of fishing the active assumption of responsibilities is lacking due to the nature and the immensity of the oceans, and it is extremely difficult to control human activities there (cf. Orientations  Aqua Fons vitae , Vatican, 2020 § 87 and 89). Nonetheless, “we need to be increasingly committed to resolving the structural causes of poverty” (DT 94), also in the fishing sector. This commitment involves valuing and promoting human dignity. It is evident that the care of the seas and fishing is intimately tied to the care of persons. Besides the controls that are necessary to apply the laws and measures pertaining to working conditions of fishermen, in this World Day of Fishing, it is important to emphasize the need to watch over the defense of the dignity of the fishermen (including those engaging in aquaculture) and their families, seeking their integral development. Voice must be given to fishermen lest the policies and laws that affect them be discussed only by those who “live and reason from the comfortable position of a high level of development and a quality of life well beyond the reach of the majority of the world’s population” (LS 49). John Paul II always spoke to us of the corresponsibility of those who dedicated themselves to fishing on both the small or large scale, as well as the different forms of solidarity in free associations. We should encourage the active participation of all who work in fishing in decisions that affect their life and work (Address of Pope John Paul II to Participants in the World Conference of the FAO on Fisheries Management and Development 1984).

The Church, through the Work of the Apostolate of the Sea, aims to be present where fishermen and sailors are suffering the most. In coastal parishes and in ports, their chaplains and voluntaries accompany those who endure long absences from their families, dangerous working conditions and hard days at sea, becoming also spokespersons for their dignity. Thank you for this service!

We commend all sailors, fishermen and their families to the maternal protection, of Mary, Stella Maris. Even when tired, in the midst of the storm, lacking decent conditions of life, far from families and friends, having caught nothing, nevertheless with the faith of St Peter, “at your command, I will lower the nets” (Luke 5:5). May Mary guide and protect those who plow the seas and, with her maternal intercession, sustain everyone in hope, in justice and in the commitment to the care of the seas.

Card. Michael Czerny, S.I.