Orthodox/Catholic caucus ping.
“What does the Pope have to do or say in the university? Certainly, he should not seek to impose the faith in authoritarian fashion, because faith can only be given in freedom. Beyond his ministry as Pastor of the Church and on the basis of the intrinsic nature of this pastoral ministry, it is his task to keep alive the sensitivity for truth; to invite reason ever anew to set itself to a quest for the truth, for goodness, for God; and along this path, call on it to be aware of the useful lights that have emerged throughout the history of the Christian faith, and thereby to perceive Jesus Christ as the Light who illumines history and helps us find the way to the future.”
Trust me, this is well worth the read.
I assume the Gentle Freeper knows the background. The speech was prepared but never delivered because some students at Sapienza threatened to disrupt it. His Holiness canceled the visit, there were demostrations in support of the Pope in Rome, Sapienza University ended up embarassing itself and now has reinvited him. The speach was released to the press though.
It is ironic that the speech was on the very topic of relationship between the Church and the Academe, so rudely damaged by the latter.