"Replace fears with dreams. Do not be managers of fears, but entrepreneurs of dreams". These were the words of Pope Francis at the Portuguese Catholic University (UCP), during the meeting with young university students, which took place on August 3.
The Holy Father also asked young people to ensure that "academic titles are not just a selfish and personal privilege". He also said, invoking Almada Negreiros, that he dreams of a "Generation of masters. Masters of humanity, masters of compassion, masters of new opportunities for the planet and its inhabitants. Masters of Hope".
At the ceremony, the Rector of the Portuguese Catholic University, Isabel Capeloa Gil, welcomed the Holy Father and after a presentation about the University said "We are a University with a strong social sense, awarding scholarships and prizes to more than twenty percent of our students", "the University is by definition a space of search, risk, discomfort, dialogue and welcome", she added.
The Rector also stressed that "in the face of realities marked by exclusion and inequality, in a time of uncertainty, the University stands as the guardian of Hope, which means promoting the ability to dream, helping to discern, listening to the voices around us, listening to the time, intervening in it, defending the dignity of women and men, believing in their capacity for transformation ".
In this Meeting with Young University Students, the Holy Father heard testimonies from a refugee student and from students involved in the "Global Education Pact", in the initiative "The Economy of Francis" and in the application of the encyclical Laudato si'.
The ceremony also included the blessing of the first stone of the new Catholic campus, Campus Veritati, and the participation of the UCP Choir.
