BENEDICT XVI: "THE TWO POLES OF HUMAN EXISTENCE: SOLITUDE AND COMMUNION" (3)

” “Referring again to the figure of St Peter Damian "who was amongst the big ‘reformers’ of the Church after the year one thousand," the Pope added: "every true reform should be first of all moral and spiritual, that is to say it should start from the conscience. Today there is much talk of reform of the university in Italy. I think that, considering the case, one thing is always effective: structural and technical changes are really effective when accompanied by a serious examination of conscience by responsible people at all levels, and more generally by every professor, every student, every person with an administrative or technical function." Then he added "if a human environment has to improve in terms of quality and efficiency, one must start to reform oneself, by changing what can undermine or obstruct the common good (…). A reform of the university is really effective when it achieves freedom: freedom of teaching, freedom of research, freedom of the academic institutions from economic and political powers." "The mission of university," he concluded, "is the scientific and cultural education of people for the whole development of the social and civil community." ” “