Visit of the Holy Father to the Pontifical Gregorian University / 1

Dear Pope Francis

Your presence among us fills us with gratitude. It is a confirmation of the University's mission and a source of hope.

First of all, we give thanks to the Lord for the inspiration of His generous ministry to the Church through the synodal journey, giving strength to an inclusive People of God, committed together to sowing the seeds of the Good News of reconciliation in Christ everywhere in the world, in all cultures and throughout human history. We are grateful for the impulse to walk together as missionary disciples, responding to the call of the Crucified and Risen Lord.

It reconfirms our commitment to make the activity of the University an effective instrument of collaboration in the mission which the Lord has entrusted to his Church. Teaching contributes to the integral formation of persons with a solid intellectual formation, open to the mystery of God present in the complex reality of this world, and capable of reflecting on the gift of faith kindled in their hearts. Academic research in the various scientific, philosophical and theological fields provides a deeper understanding of creation and contributes to opening up new pathways of faith for the transformation of our human society into a more just, solidarity-based society that is respectful of creation. The university is in many ways woven into the fabric of human history and contributes in its own specific way to the reconciliation of all things in Christ.

Holy Father, Your presence in this Pontifical Gregorian University, integrated with the Pontifical Oriental Institute, the Pontifical Biblical Institute and the Collegium Maximum, confirms our commitment to this specific mission which extends from Rome to the rest of the world. It confirms our mission to make academic activity a means of spreading God’s manifold wisdom among cultures and nations where we are engaged in carrying out the challenging and passionate university apostolate.

Your presence is the source of the hope that motivates us to conform our lives and our university work to the way of life of Jesus, the Christ, the only model of humanity, from whom flows the Hope of a world of justice and peace, a world in which love is the foundation of reconciled relationships among human beings, reconciled with nature and with the Holy Trinity, the source of the free-flowing unconditional love that sets us free.

Holy Father, we welcome you to this University community, a beautiful expression of the People of God, where people of different cultures and generations walk together, bringing the message of God’s gift, his Kingdom, yearning to welcome all of humanity in its midst.