On 24 August 2026, over a hundred participants gathered at Saint Francis University—the Catholic university in Hong Kong—for the inaugural session of the Distinguished Scholars Series, organized by the newly established Centre for Applied Ethics. Entitled “The Heart of Transformation: Changing the World from Within,” the seminar offered a vibrant platform for academic dialogue and spiritual reflection. Scholars, students, professionals, and local faithful came together to explore how Christian faith can offer meaningful answers to the challenges of an increasingly individualistic and technological world.
Rooted in Heritage, Facing modern challenges
The seminar opened with introductory remarks by Senior Counsel Denis Chang, the Chairperson of the university Council, who set a warm tone for the afternoon event. In his address, he invited the audience to consider how authentic social change begins with the quiet conversion of the human heart, rather than with external structures. Highlighting the unique mission of the Centre for Applied Ethics—which was established to address pressing contemporary issues in artificial intelligence, bioethics, and social ethics—he emphasized the university's responsibility to bridge the rich intellectual heritage of the Church with the urgent moral questions of today.
The Antidotes to a Fractured World
The keynote address was delivered by Msgr. Mariano Fazio, Auxiliary Vicar of Opus Dei, who reflected deeply on how Christians are called to engage with secular culture. In his presentation, Msgr. Fazio warned against three pervasive modern mindsets: radical individualism, relativism, and a culture of consumption that threatens to reduce human dignity. To counter these trends, he proposed three spiritual antidotes: deep personal prayer, a firm commitment to the truth, and a life lived in selfless service to others.
Expanding on these ideas, Msgr. Fazio reminded the audience of the Church's historical role in fostering human progress. “The university itself was born from the heart of the Church,” he noted, emphasizing that a Catholic institution must strive for the highest standards of academic excellence while remaining faithful to its identity. Addressing a related question from the public, he underscored that living the Gospel means creating a truly welcoming environment: beyond the devotional and religious activities, he said, “our Catholic identity is shown above all when we live charity—when we love one another, forgive, and build a real family.”
Msgr. Fazio is also author of several books on philosophy and contemporary ideas, and is the former rector of the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross in Rome.
Empathy, interiority, and the digital age
Following the keynote, Dr. Joshua Yuan, from the university’s Centre for Applied Ethics and the Discussant of the seminar, offered a thoughtful commentary connecting Msgr. Fazio’s insights with contemporary philosophical and technological challenges. Drawing from his research on Edith Stein’s phenomenology of empathy, Dr. Yuan stressed that true personal transformation requires the capacity to quiet our lives and internalize our experiences. In order to transform others’ lives, “you must first cultivate a deep internal life,” he explained. He cautioned against mistaking raw data or superficial digital interactions for genuine relationships, reminding participants that human connections cannot be reduced to algorithms, but must be built on the receptive capacity of the human heart.
Dialogue and shared discovery
The presentations were followed by a lively Q&A session moderated by the organizers. The audience engaged the speakers with diverse and insightful questions, touching on the tension between academic secularization and Catholic values, practical ways to deepen one's prayer life amid daily noise, and the moral implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI). In response to a query about whether AI companions threaten human agency, Dr. Yuan observed: “Relationships cannot be built upon calculation or probability, but upon genuine experience and our capacity to receive the other.” Meanwhile, Msgr. Fazio encouraged those seeking deeper prayer to start simply: “To pray is to enter into a personal dialogue with our Lord... He speaks to our hearts in the quiet moments of our day.”
At the conclusion of the event, the atmosphere remained warm and lively as Msgr. Fazio spent time greeting attendees, signing, and personalizing numerous copies of his books for those eager to continue reflecting on the afternoon's themes. One of his books is precisely entitled “Changing the World from Within.” As participants departed, many expressed gratitude for an event that reinforced a timeless truth: that the renewal of society always begins within the human heart.