Greeting of the Prelate, Mons. Javier Echevarría,

Holy Father

I would like to thank your Holiness for having wished to receive this morning the participants of the International UNIV Congress, which the Istituto per la Cooperazione Universitaria has been organising every year in Rome since 1968. The objective of this meeting is to increase awareness of the challenges presented by our present-day society among students from the most diverse countries, to help them to work together, in their place of study or work, to bring Jesus Christ into all environments, to make him known to the many people who are awaiting it, maybe without knowing it, and who have need of Him.

At the end of the thirties, St Josemaría dedicated himself passionately to the university world. He invited university students, one by one, personally, to spread goodness, light, enthusiasm, generosity, spirit of sacrifice, constancy in work, depth of study.

Meeting with the Holy Father is always, for every son and daughter of the Church, a reason for profound joy. It is also a reason for responsibility, a confirmation of the mission that the Church entrusts to everyone: to be “apostles rooted in the words of Christ, capable of responding to the challenges of our time” (Message for the XXI World Youth Day). The Roman Pontiff proposes this target especially to young people, that they should unite themselves wholeheartedly to his prayer for this intention; as your Holiness has himself suggested, entrusting the prayer and the work of these days to Mary, being as she is the nearest to Christ on the cross.

I will now hand over to the President of this UNIV 2006. Thank you Holy Father!

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Greeting of the President of UNIV (Anthony Gichuki, Nairobi, Kenya)

Holy Father,

My name is Anthony, and I come from Kenya. I studied Economics at Strathmore University in Nairobi. The participants of our traditional UNIV university students’ meeting are united today with many other people, the families of some of us, other university students, and teaching staff from several countries.

I would like to repeat the words that we have just sung, the Gaudeamus Igitur. On other occasions, in this meeting, we have sung it to Pope John Paul II: Vivat semper Iuvenis, Papa dilectissimus: it is a way for us to offer “advance congratulations” to the Holy Father, on the occasion of your birthday, which we will be celebrating in a few days’ time.

Last Thursday, in a conversation with young people, you reminded them that “life can be lived to the full only if we have the courage for adventure, the confidence that the Lord will never leave me alone.”

Holy Father, I would like to tell you in the name of all the University students of UNIV that these words of yours in dialogue with Roman youths will be a guide for our study and reflection during these days that we will be spending here in Rome. Our minds go to the adventure of our university study, and of our life. In our study and in academic work we would like to find Jesus Christ, so as to be able to communicate him to many of our friends.

Studying of the language of the media, we intend to analyse the dynamic of the mass media as an effective means to spread the truth among many persons. We would like to avoid remaining closed up in a over-narrow specialisation, and to serve the Church and everyone through the high standards of our work. We believe that in this way our life “become broad and light, not boring but filled with infinite surprises, for God's infinite goodness is never depleted.” (Benedict XVI, homily, 8-12-2005)

Thank you once again, Holy Father, for this audience, and for the words and Apostolic Blessing that you will give us.

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