Pope Leo XIV has urged students, professors and researchers at Rome’s pontifical universities to embrace questioning, reason and critical thinking as essential elements of the journey of faith. Celebrating Mass at St Peter’s Basilica to mark the opening of the new academic year, the Pope called on the academic community to pursue truth collectively, guard against the misuse of religious teaching, nurture friendships across cultures and make education accessible to others. He emphasised that academic study should serve faith, the Church and humanity rather than individual ambition.
Vatican City, Oct 2026 : Pope Leo XIV on Thursday called on students, professors and researchers at the pontifical universities to regard questioning, reason and critical thinking as essential components of their journey of faith, urging them to pursue truth together and place their knowledge at the service of the Church and humanity.
The Pope made the remarks while presiding over Mass at St Peter’s Basilica to inaugurate the new academic year for ecclesiastical institutions of higher education in Rome. The celebration brought together members of the city’s extensive pontifical academic community, including priests, seminarians, religious and lay students from different parts of the world.
In his homily, Leo said the beginning of an academic year should mean more than returning to classrooms, lectures and research. It should mark a renewed commitment to a shared mission in which education becomes a form of service, guided by the Holy Spirit and directed towards faith and truth.
He invited students and teachers to “consider study as service to faith and truth, for your own good and for that of so many brothers and sisters for whom the Lord gave his life”.
Emphasising the importance of intellectual inquiry in religious life, the Pope said reason, asking questions and expressing them in the light of the Word of God and the Church’s Tradition were essential to following Jesus Christ.
He expressed hope that the academic year would become a truly ecclesial moment, with the community gathering around the Lord’s table to renew its common purpose.
Intelligence, memory and critical thinking
Reflecting on the words of St Paul in the Letter to the Galatians, read during the Mass, Leo described them as a call to intelligence, memory and critical thinking. He said intelligence was decisive for both faith and mission, enabling believers to understand their responsibilities and contribute meaningfully to the wider community.
The Pope stressed that teaching, studying and conducting research should not be isolated pursuits undertaken solely for personal advancement. Instead, academic work should be carried out with others, for others and, above all, in the service of the Lord.
He also warned against the misuse of religious education by individuals who exploit the faith of believers for their own purposes.
“In every age, there is no shortage of false teachers who exploit the religious fervour of many believers for their own ends,” Leo said, cautioning that such individuals could encourage the radicalisation of particular aspects of religious teaching while neglecting the broader message of Christ and the Gospel.
The Pope said genuine intelligence must also become memory. He distinguished meaningful human understanding from the mere accumulation and processing of information, noting that technology and algorithms could organise data faster than people but could not replace the human capacity to remember experiences and recognise their deeper significance.
True learning, he suggested, involves engaging with experiences, understanding their meaning and developing a deeper appreciation of goodness.
Friendship and the sharing of knowledge
Leo also urged students and professors to cultivate friendships during their university years, describing friendship as a precious gift, particularly when it develops through a shared search for truth in Christ.
He encouraged the academic community to integrate life with study and study with life, drawing on the Christian understanding of the Incarnation. Faith and academic research, he said, should remain connected to lived reality rather than becoming detached from the experiences and concerns of ordinary people.
The Pope further called on those with access to higher education to help others who lacked similar opportunities.
“Many people do not have the same opportunities for education that we have had. Let us open the door; let us not close ourselves off,” he said.
His message emphasised that education should not become a privilege used to create barriers but a resource that can be shared for the benefit of society.
The world as one academic community
Highlighting the international character of Rome’s pontifical institutions, Leo encouraged students to go beyond simply sharing lecture halls with classmates from different backgrounds.
“Look around you: the whole world is present in your lecture halls,” he said, referring to students from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe and Oceania.
He urged them to meet one another, exchange experiences, listen to different perspectives, share their experiences of the Church, pray together and build friendships that could endure throughout their lives.
The Pope said such relationships offered an opportunity to deepen mutual understanding and strengthen the bonds of a global Christian community.
Around 11,750 students are enrolled at the various pontifical universities, colleges and institutes in Rome. They come from across the continents to pursue studies and research in theology, philosophy and other ecclesiastical disciplines.
Concluding his message, Leo encouraged the students to make the most of their years in Rome, a city central to the history of Christianity.
He recalled that it was in Rome that St Peter professed his faith unto martyrdom and St Paul completed his mission, carrying the Christian message across peoples, languages and cultures while remaining steadfast in his faith.
The Pope’s address underscored his vision of higher education as a collective pursuit in which intellectual rigour, spiritual growth, intercultural friendship and service to others must go hand in hand.
(Disclaimer :The content of this article is sourced from a news agency and has not been edited by the Mavericknews30 team.)
