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Pope Leo Urges Oxford Seminarians to Seek Truth Courageously
Confirmed
In Short: Pope Leo emphasized the importance of seeking truth and the value of a vocation rooted in faith during an audience with Italian seminarians at the Vatican.
The Pope highlighted the essence of seminary education, emphasizing the importance of being with the Lord Jesus and learning from Him, during an audience with Italian seminarians in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.
He stressed the significance of an intimate dialogue with God, cultivated in silence and prayer, in the face of the world's noise and self-realization trends.
Pope Leo reminded the seminarians of their vocation as a free choice made by God, signifying a gratuitous love that always anticipates and supports them.
The Pope also highlighted the role of priests in proclaiming the beauty of faith in Jesus Christ and the good news of salvation to all people.
In his address, the Pope urged Oxford scholars to seek truth courageously and promote an education rooted in human dignity, justice, and the common good, marking the 700th anniversary of the college’s royal charter.
He noted that the college has maintained its Christian identity throughout the centuries, emphasizing the enduring value of its Christian roots.
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- “Every vocation is born from an intimate dialogue with God, cultivated in silence and prayer, which often occurs despite the sometimes deafening noise of the world,” the pope said.
- “In a world so eager to celebrate self-realization, it is truly important to reiterate that none of you and none of us are here because we deserve it, but only because of a free choice made by God the Father, a sign and pledge of a gratuitous love that always anticipates us and never disappoints,” Pope Leo told the young men.
- “As I look at each of you, I contemplate the wonder of God, who never tires of whispering to the hearts of young people the beauty of giving one’s life for him and for the Church,” the pope said.
- Finally, referring to Newman’s celebrated hymn Lead, Kindly Light, Leo recalled the English saint’s trust that God would guide him amid life’s uncertainties and urged the delegation to entrust themselves and the college’s future to Christ.
- “Saint John Henry Newman stands as a shining example of a scholar who not only showed the inseparability of faith and reason in his works but even more admirably in his life,” Pope Leo said.
- The 19th-century Oxford theologian who is the first English saint of the modern era showed “great trust that God would guide him despite the uncertainties of life,” exemplified in his famous hymn “Lead, Kindly Light,” the pope said, as he encouraged Oxford’s current scholars to “seek the truth courageously” in their own academic endeavors.
- “I urge you, then, to entrust yourselves and the future of the College to the unfading Light of the world, so that you too, like Our Lady, may reflect his glory to the world,” Pope Leo said.
- During the meeting, Lord Neil Mendoza, the provost of the college, presented a gift to Pope Leo of an original 17th-century engraving of Oriel College from the first illustrated book of Oxford, published in 1675.