The head of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo IX has called on the Catholic owned Universities Pope In a message to the International Federation of Catholic Universities, to remain firmly rooted in Christ, the source of true wisdom.
In a message addressed to participants of the 28th General Assembly of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU), held in Guadalajara, Mexico, Pope Leo XIV on Monday offered a reflection on the role of Catholic universities in today’s world, urging them to remain rooted in Christ as the source of wisdom and truth.
The Assembly marks the centenary of the IFCU, on the theme, “Catholic Universities: Choreographers of Knowledge”. Referring to the theme, the Pope said it is a beautiful expression, that it “evokes harmony, unity, dynamism, and joy.”
Universities: A pathway of the mind toward God
Yet, Pope Leo warned, the contemporary cultural landscape is filled with “the songs of the sirens”, ideas that are appealing for their novelty, popularity, or apparent certainty. In contrast, Catholic universities are called to be a pathway “of the mind toward God,” echoing the thought of St. Bonaventure.
Quoting from the Church Fathers, including St. Augustine and St. Paul, the Pope highlighted the enduring need for Catholic institutions to illuminate the human spirit by anchoring knowledge in divine truth.
“The soul, left to itself, has neither light nor strength,” he said, citing Augustine. “It darkens when it turns away from the source of immutable truth and is illumined when it draws near.”
In this light, the Pope affirmed that the university environment, marked by dialogue and intellectual plurality, is not alien to the mission of the Church.
Engaging with diverse views
From the early days of evangelisation, Christians understood the importance of engaging with diverse worldviews. He recalled how St. Paul challenged the Roman Christians to examine the fruits of their former ways of life, underscoring that without Christ, human wisdom ultimately leads to death.
“Christ is not a stranger to rational discourse,” Pope Leo said, “but rather the keystone that gives coherence and meaning to all our thoughts, hopes, and efforts to improve life and find purpose.”
Reflecting on the thought of St. Thomas Aquinas, the Pope noted that Christ as Wisdom is both central to faith and accessible to universal human reason.
Quoting from Aquinas’ Commentary on the Sentences, he stressed that wisdom, whether seen as a natural intellectual capacity or a divine gift, “concerns above all the divine,” and offers a firm foundation for dialogue with all cultures and schools of thought.
The strength of the Christian identity Catholic universities, he affirmed, should not distance themselves from Christ or relativise His unique role in the name of academic discourse. Rather, they are to engage respectfully andfruitfully with all traditions of knowledge, precisely from the strength of their Christian identity.
Concluding his message, Pope Leo XIV expressed his hope that Christ-Wisdom – the Truth made Person, who draws the world to Himself – would be the guiding compass for all Catholic higher education institutions.
“May the loving knowledge of Him be the impulse for a new evangelisation in the field of Catholic higher education,” he said.
The Holy Father imparted his Apostolic Blessing to all those present at the Assembly and to the institutions they represent.
