(ANS -)- "For an academic institution, the appointment of a new rector is always an opportunity to gather the heritage of work and experience gained over the years in order to continue with renewed enthusiasm in the commitment to achieve the goals that are the reason for the existence of a Salesian University." Here are some excerpts from an interview by Antonio Carriero fromVatican Insider with Fr Mauro Mantovani, the new Rector Magnificus of the Salesian Pontifical University (UPS).

How can the Salesian University promote the realization of a new humanism in Jesus Christ?

"Two hundred years after the birth of Don Bosco, and fifty years after the end of Vatican Council II and the beginning of the presence of the Salesian Pontifical University in Rome, the tasks associated with our University are relevant and inescapable - to serve the Church and society today, faced as they are with an educational emergency, with the uncertainties and the aspirations of our time and the current crisis which is seen more and more, at least by anyone who wants to see it or is capable of doing so. Our task is to meet the ethical and anthropological dimensions of this crisis, rather than the purely technical or procedural challenges. For us it is imperative not to miss this important appointment with history, offering - from the educational aspect - a contribution of thought and cultural and social programmes that reflect truthfully and in all its integrity the vision of humanity and the world enlightened by Christian revelation, from the mystery of Jesus in whom light is shed on the mystery of the human person, called to find fulfilment in relationship with God and with others, and to give oneself in love, on the model of the Triune God. Precisely in this way the university can become a breeding ground for new thinking and new ways of life, with a response that is always constructive and never defeatist to the great challenges of the so-called post-human era and of scientific and technological progress."

How did the Salesian Pontifical University celebrate the year of the bicentenary of the birth of Don Bosco that has just ended?

"In the spring of 2015, during the bicentenary year, we held a well-attended international conference that highlighted aspects of the history, pedagogy and spirituality that characterize the Salesian view of education, bringing together important contributions from the study and research done during the three years of preparation. This and several other initiatives were the result of close collaboration between the UPS and various departments of the Salesian Congregation, with which we have close collaboration."

What are the aims of the University now, after the Bicentenary?

"We are looking ahead to the new academic year 2015-2016. We intend to offer our contribution on the main ecclesial events that are taking place: the two Synods of Bishops on the family, the Assembly of the Italian Church in Florence, the special Jubilee of Mercy, the various requests from the Magisterium of Pope Francis starting from the challenges of the Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium and the recent encyclical Laudato Si'. We want to be in the front line in promoting the culture of dialogue and encounter, in countering the mentality of   indifference that tends to discard the weaker members of society, and in opening lines of study and establishing good practice in the area of integral human ecology.

We want to be a university that is challenged by the renewed demand for dynamic fidelity to Don Bosco that the Bicentenary called for, and one that is at the service of the Salesian Congregation, the Church and society so that all the youth of the world, especially the poorest, may not only not be robbed of hope, but may become ever more passionate builders of the civilization of love.”

The full interview can be seen on Vatican Insider

Published 02/09/2015