The Pope hosted college students in Lisbon, inviting them to be “the protagonists of a new dance drama about people,” urging them not to replace real people with screens, but to become “dream entrepreneurs” rather than “fear managers.” “, and use education for Service to others, common ecology, new politics and new economy.
(Vatican News Network)Pope Francis meets with students on the campus of the Catholic University of Portugal on August 3. Faced with the “great test,” the “cry of pain” of this historic moment, the Pope calls on young students to realize: “We are not in the agony of death, but in the pain of birth; we are not the end, but the beginning of an important show.”
dream entrepreneur
The students warmly greeted the Pope with singing and applause. The Pope urged them to be “dream entrepreneurs”, “not to manage fear”, not to be content with those simple answers that bind people’s hearts, but to have “the courage to replace fear with dreams”. In the universities, the Pope pointed out, self-preservation is a temptation, a conditioned response caused by fear. It would be wasteful “to view universities simply as preparing new generations to perpetuate the world’s meritocratic and unequal system, in which higher education remains the privilege of a few.”
Education for service
The Pope continued: “If people with higher education do not seek to return what they have taken advantage of, they do not fully realize their benefits. In fact, a degree should not be viewed only as a license to accumulate personal wealth. Rather, it should be seen as a mission to build a more just and inclusive society, a more progressive society.”
seek and adventure
“We are all pilgrims”, and each pilgrim “seeks” and “travels”. The Pope warned against “prepared formulas, answers that seem to be at your fingertips, advice that seems to give everything without asking for anything.”
mild anxiety
Don’t be afraid to feel awkward. In fact, dissatisfaction is a great antidote to fantasies of self-sufficiency and narcissism. Each of us is a wanderer, a seeker, feeling incomplete, as Jesus said, “we are in the world, but not of the world.” So, don’t panic if we find that our heart is yearning.
“We are not sick, we are living beings! What we have to worry about is deliberately trading the road we are about to take for any break that gives us the illusion of comfort; replace human faces with screens, virtual Truth; in the face of heartbreaking questions, choosing simple answers that paralyze the soul.
Don’t divide, have a holistic view
It is time to reconsider what we mean by “progress” and “development” because “too much has been lost in the name of progress.” The Pope pointed out that we need a global perspective, not polarization.
“You are the generation that can win this test: you have the most advanced technological tools, but please don’t fall into the trap of one-sided vision. Remember that we need a holistic ecology that listens to the suffering of the planet and the suffering of the poor; we need to juxtapose the tragedy of desertification with the refugee problem; compare the problem of immigration with the problem of low fertility; and deal with the physical aspects of life on a spiritual level.”
Dialogue with college students
During this meeting, the Pope had a deep dialogue with four students. The Pope’s speech was in fact an answer to four young people’s questions about the encyclical Laudato si, the Global Education Pact, the Franciscan economy and the culture of communication.
The Pope encourages them to be teachers of humanity, compassion, creation of new opportunities for the Earth and its inhabitants, and hope. The Pope urged everyone to enthusiastically study the Global Education Compact to counter the severe environmental damage and the sporadic threat of World War III that the world is facing. The Pope emphasized acceptance and tolerance towards immigrants, noting that the act of acceptance leads to a transformation of the heart. The Pope also emphasized the importance of women, criticizing the widespread public perception of women as second-class citizens, when in fact they play an integral role in the economy and the family. Finally, the Pope reiterated the connection between man and all things and encouraged students to understand themselves and determine their own path in life, acquiring scientific skills.
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