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This morning, in the Vatican Apostolic Palace, the Holy Father Francis received in audience the members of the Blanquerna – Universitat Ramón Llull (Barcelona) Foundation, to whom he delivered the following address:

 

Address of the Holy Father

Dear brother,

Dear friends,

I am pleased to greet you again: some of you have already been here for the meeting with the Federation of Catholic Universities, you already know the way, you are almost at home. My attention was drawn by the name Blanquerna, the illustrious literary personage used by Blessed Ramón Llull to give a precise description of the society of his time. At the same time the philosopher tries to provide, in a pedagogic form, some models of Christian life that can be of use to any person to follow Christ, wherever He may call them.

And all of this is like a lesson which is of a topicality, a surprising topicality, because it speaks to us of a new and accessible language, of a way of communicating perhaps unusual for the age, but pleasant and clear to his contemporaries. A pedagogy that moves away from the fantastic heroes who try to make us escape from our reality, as chivalrous characters were then, and, on the contrary, proposes to us simple models of life, and natural models of life, in which we can serve the Lord and be happy. How much pain and frustration are caused today by the unattainable stereotypes that markets and pressure groups claim to impose on us, even more than in the time of the Blessed [Ramón Llull]. What a great task to make young people the plan God has for each one of them.

Your foundation, and the entire Universitat Ramón Llull , by assuming this name, has accepted this exciting task. First of all, working to give back to the family its primary vocation in society, following the example of our protagonist’s parents. Then, by offering young people different paths in life which, like the phases our character completes, help them to overcome the challenges life presents to them. Also, by creating the certainty that the Christian hero’s steps are not marked by the longings of careerism, but are an answer to a calling. Careerism causes great harm, great harm, because it is not communitarian, it is individualistic, and this causes harm. And courageously affirming that the demand for roles of ever-greater responsibility must be the result of excellence in the service rendered so far. And above all, by teaching them that, once their task has been brought to completion, like our protagonist, even if he reaches the Supreme Pontificate, the Christian must strive, must aspire to the encounter with the Lord, to full devotion to the divine service. Or rather, at the base there is always the Baptism that made you Christian and, wherever you are, you are a baptized person who must respond from there, and not from the steps you can climb in life.

This is the idea I would like you to take with you when you return to your university and to the other educational projects you promote. To form, yes, with a current, modern, concise, pedagogic language, with an accurate analysis of reality; but – there is always a “but” in life – but always taking into account that we form complete men and women, not illusory replicas of impossible ideals. For example, there are some universities I encountered in America that are too liberal, that try only to form technicians, to form specialists, and forget that they must form men and women. Integral people who try to give the best of themselves in the service God calls them to, knowing that they are pilgrims, that in reality everything is a journey towards a goal that surpasses this reality, the encounter of the friend with the beloved, in that love that, poured into our hearts, gives us the strength to go forward.

At the end of the book, Blessed Llull offers us a daily meditation; I have chosen number 124 which, being a leap year, would ideally correspond to today: “They asked the Friend what was the greatest darkness. He answered the absence of his Beloved; and when asked what was the greatest splendour, he said the presence of his Beloved”. This is my wish for you, that you may enlighten the lives of your students with the presence of Jesus, that this certainty may make them aware of their dignity as friends, of God and of men, and that they may be able to dispel the darkness that covers this world that has strayed from its true essence. May Jesus bless you and may the Holy Virgin protect you, and do not forget to pray for me; but for, not against.

Appointment of bishop of Ahiara, Nigeria

The Holy Father has appointed Bishop Simeon Okezuo Nwobi, C.M.F., until now titular bishop of Rusgunie and auxiliary of the apostolic administrator sede vacante of Ahiara, as bishop of the diocese of Ahiara, Nigeria.

Curriculum vitae

Bishop Simeon Okezuo Nwobi, C.M.F., was born on 25 March 1960 in Eziama Oparanadim Ekwereazu, in the diocese of Ahiara. After entering the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretians), he carried out his studies in philosophy at the Claretian Institute of Philosophy Maryland, Nedeke, and subsequently in theology at the Bigard Memorial Seminary in Enugu. He gave his perpetual vows on 11 September 1988, and was ordained a priest on 21 July 1990 for his Congregation.

He was awarded a postgraduate diploma in public administration from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology in Enugu, a licentiate in missiology from the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, and a master of public administration from the National Open University of Nigeria.

He has held the following offices: parish priest at Saint Anthony in Igbo-Ora (1990-1992), bursar at Claretian Theology, Enugu (1992-1997), director of the Department of Spirituality at the Claretian Institute of Philosophy Maryland, Nedeke (1999-2000), professor at the Bigard Memorial Seminary of Enugu (2000-2009), prefect of the Apostolate at the Claretian Provincial Curia of New Owerri (2005-2010), parish priest of Saint Paul in Nedeke (2006-2010), provincial of the East Province of Nigeria of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (2010-2022).

He was appointed titular bishop of Rusgunie and auxiliary the apostolic administrator sede vacante of Ahiara, Nigeria, on 14 October 2023, receiving episcopal consecration the following 19 December.

This morning, the Holy Father Francis received in audience:

- His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle, pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization;

- Bishop Carlos María Domínguez, O.A.R., of San Rafael, Argentina;

- His Excellency Alexandre Silveira de Oliveira, Minister of Mining Resources and Energy of Brazil;

- Members of the Blanquerna Foundation, of the metropolitan archdiocese of Barcelona, Spain;

- Members of the National Confederation of Vocational Training and Professional Updating (CONFAP).

This morning, in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father Francis received in audience the members of the National Confederation of Vocational Training and Professional Updating (CONFAP).

The following is the Pope’s address to those present at the audience:

 

Address of the Holy Father

Mr. Minister of Education, Mr. Valditara, dear brothers and sisters, good morning!

I welcome all of you and greet in particular the President of CONFAP, the trainers, the educators and young people present, all of you who are an active part of the professional education bodies. Your Confederation is celebrating its fiftieth anniversary, while we also remember the twenty-fifth of the Forma FP Association. And I would like to say thank you straight away, thank you, because your service, inspired by the social doctrine of the Church, is a contribution of vital importance for the society in which we live.

With your daily effort, you are an expression of the rich and variegated spirituality of various religious institutions, which have in their charism the service to young people through professional formation . These are cutting-edge training courses, which boast a high quality of methodologies, workshop experiences and didactic possibilities, so much so that they constitute a flagship in the panorama of training for work. And, more importantly, your training proposal is integral , because besides the quality of tools and teaching, you reserve care and special attention above all towards young people who find themselves on the margins of social and ecclesial life. Thank you for what you do; thank you to the trainers who devote themselves passionately to the young. And with this spirit of gratitude, I would like to offer you some reflections based on the three words that characterize your effort: youth, formation, and profession.

First of all, young people . There are many of you here! They are one of the most fragile categories of our time. The young, always filled with talents and potential, are also particularly vulnerable, because of both certain anthropological conditions and various cultural aspects of the time in which we live.

I allude not only to the NEET, those who are not in education, employment or training, but also to some social choices that expose them to the winds of dissipation and degradation. Indeed, many young people leave their places of origin to seek employment elsewhere, often not finding opportunities that live up to their dreams; some, then, intend to work but have to make do with precarious and underpaid contracts; others still, in this context of social fragility and exploitation, live in dissatisfaction and resign from work. Faced with these and other similar situations, we must all become aware of one thing: the abandonment of education and training is a tragedy! Hear me well, it is a tragedy. And, while it is necessary to promote legislation to favour the social recognition of young people, it is even more important to construct a generational change where the skills of those who are leaving the labour market are at the service of those who are entering. In other words, that adults share the dreams and desires of the young, they introduce them, they support them, they encourage them without judging them.

In this regard, I would like to say to you, who creatively dedicate your being as Christians in this field: do not lose sight of anyone, be attentive to the young, take care of those who have not had opportunities or come from socially disadvantaged situations. Not everyone has received the indispensable support of the family and the Christian community, and we are called to take responsibility for this, so that no-one can be left at the door, especially the poorest and most marginalized, who risk serious forms of exclusion, migrants included. Those who feel rejected can end up in forms of humanly degrading social malaise, and this we must not accept!

The second word is training , which indicates indispensable commitment to generating the future. The transformations of work are increasingly complex, also due to the new technologies and the development of artificial intelligence. And here we are called upon to repel two temptations: on the one hand, technophobia, or rather the fear of technology that leads to dismissing it; on the other, technocracy, the illusion that technology can solve all problems. Instead, it is a matter of investing resources and energies, because the transformation of work demands ongoing, creative and constantly updated training. At the same time, efforts must also be made to restore dignity to certain jobs, especially manual ones, which are still socially under-recognized.

Sound vocational training is an antidote to school drop-outs and a response to the demand for work in various sectors of the economy. But – you teach me this – good vocational training cannot be improvised. It requires a link with families, as with every type of educational experience; it takes a healthy and effective relationship with companies, willing to take on young people. These are two poles of reference for you, because along with technical skills, human virtues are important: technique without humanity becomes ambiguous, risky, and not truly human, it is not truly formative. Training must offer young people the tools to discern between job opportunities and forms of exploitation.

The first word, youth . The second word, training . The third word, profession . Youth, training and profession. Our profession defines us. “What is your job?” we ask someone, to get to know them. “What is your name? What do you do?”: we present others through their work. This was also the case for Jesus, recognized as the “carpenter’s son” ( Mt 13:55), or simply as “the carpenter” ( Mk 6:3). And yet, today we are witnessing a debasement of the meaning of work, which is increasingly interpreted in relation to earning money rather than as an expression of one’s own dignity and contribution to the common good. Rather, it is important for training programmes to be at the service of the overall growth of the person, in his or her spiritual, cultural and work dimensions. “When we discover that God is calling us to something, that this or that is what we were made for – whether it be nursing, carpentry, communication, teaching, art or any other kind of work – then we will be able to summon up our best capacities for sacrifice, generosity and dedication. Knowing that we don’t do things just for the sake of doing them, but rather we endow them with meaning … is what makes these occupations bring a sense of deep fulfilment” (Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus vivit , 273).

Three words: youth, training, profession. Do not forget them! I encourage you to continue to have young people, training and profession at heart. And I thank you, because through your creativity you show that it is possible to combine work and a person’s vocation. Because a good professional training enables one to carry out a job and, at the same time, to discover the meaning of one’s being in the world and in society. I accompany you with prayer. I bless all of you and your families from my heart. And please, do not forget to pray for me. Thank you!