ADDRESS OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
TO THE POLISH AMERICAN FRIENDS
OF THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF LUBLIN

Castel Gandolfo
Friday, 6 September 1985

Dear Friends,

I am pleased to extend very cordial greetings to you who are Polish American friends of the Catholic University of Lublin. You have just come from a visit to my homeland and to that University with which I was closely associated for many years. It is with a genuine feeling of appreciation, then, that I welcome you today and that I add my own words of gratitude for your interest in that prestigious institution and for your valued support of it.

I know that you share my own conviction about the vital importance of Catholic institutes of higher education. It is by means of such establishments that the Church contributes in a profound way to the flowering of human culture and the advancement of the human person, and thus fulfils her teaching mission in the world. Where does one find a better forum for promoting dialogue between the Church and society at large? The many facets of human culture can here be explored in depth. The faith is assisted in permeating cultures so as to purify and enrich them, and thus serve the common good of society.

Men and women are helped by Catholic universities to arrive at a more responsible use of their freedom by assisting the development of their physical, moral and intellectual talents. Thus, they can take a more active role in the improvement of human life, and with a better informed and more integrated faith can carry out their special roles in the life and mission of the Church.

Those who support and sustain Catholic educational institutions make a contribution of untold worth to the future of the Church and the world. New generations are guided towards spiritual and human maturity. They are prepared to carry on the cultural and religious heritage which has been handed on to them and to face the challenges and difficulties presented by our changing times. For these reasons, therefore, I am pleased to meet with you today and to offer my grateful encouragement for your worthy efforts. I wish also to greet all the members of your families, including those who were unable to travel with you. May God, the source of all truth and the Father of peace, bless you abundantly in his love.

© Copyright 1985 - Libreria Editrice Vaticana