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Pope Leo Urges Oxford Seminarians to Seek Truth Courageously
Confirmed
In Short: Pope Leo XVI encouraged Italian seminarians in the Vatican to embrace their vocation with courage and humility, emphasizing the importance of dialogue with God and the beauty of faith in Jesus Christ.
The heart of the seminary experience, according to Pope Leo XVI, lies in learning to be with the Master, the Lord Jesus, as he addressed Italian seminarians in the Vatican’s Clementine Hall.
Pope Leo XVI highlighted the importance of an intimate dialogue with God, cultivated in silence and prayer, amidst the noise of the world, reminding the seminarians of the gratuitous love of God that anticipates them.
In his address, the pontiff emphasized that the priest is sent to proclaim the beauty of faith in Jesus Christ and the good news of salvation to all people, underscoring the importance of a vocation born from God's free choice.
Pope Leo XVI also noted the wonder of God in the hearts of young people, encouraging them to give their lives for him and the Church, as he looked at each seminarian with admiration.
Marking the 700th anniversary of its royal charter, the pontiff urged Oxford scholars to seek truth courageously and promote an education rooted in human dignity, justice, and the common good, while noting the college's firm Christian identity throughout the centuries.
What's confirmed
- “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.
- “We are deeply grateful to Pope Leo for receiving our delegation today and recognizing our former Fellow Saint John Henry Newman as a Doctor of the Church,” Mendoza said.
What's still developing
- “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.
- 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.