Over 400 participants attended from all over the world.

March 16, 2009. Rome. From March 12 to 15, the Pauline Jubilee of Universities was held in Rome, with most of the events taking place on the campus of the European University of Rome, which shares the facilities with the Pontifical Regina Apostolorum College.

The Jubilee event was promoted by the Congregation for Catholic Education and the Pontifical Council for Culture, and organized by the Vicariate of Rome, in collaboration with several Roman educational and economic institutions.

The theme of the four-day gathering was “Gospel and Culture Toward a New Humanism.” To view the program, click here.

The proceedings opened on March 12 at the Protomoteca Hall in Campidoglio with official greetings from Gianni Alemanno, the Mayor of Rome, Nicola Zingaretti, President of the Province of Rome, Piero Marrazzo, President of the Lazio Region, and Archbishop Luigi Moretti, Vice-Director of the diocese of Rome. Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, Secretary of State for Pope Benedict XVI, gave the first introductory speech, followed by  Stella Gelmini, the Italian Minister for Education, Universities, and Research.

Two keynote addresses followed by Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, and Professor Eric McLuhan, a professor emeritus from the University of Toronto.

On March 13 and 14, the International Forum of Universities moved to the campus of the European University of Rome, where Father Paolo Scarafoni, LC, the rector of the university, extended

	A moment during one of the round tables on campus at the European University of Rome.

a warm welcome to all of the participants. Five introductory speeches followed, with presenters hailing from universities and institutes in Santiago de Chile, Washington, DC, Amsterdam, Venice, and Jakarta, Indonesia.

After the introductory speeches, the workshop sessions were divided into four areas of reflection:
• The human being: genealogy, biology, biography
• Society, environment, and economics
• The point of view of science and technology
• Memory and creativity: history, language, literature, and arts

A total of 55 professors and bishops led the various workshop sessions, round tables, and presentations, and over 400 participants were in attendance.

The Jubilee events concluded on Sunday, March 15 at the Basilica of St Paul Outside the Walls, with Mass and the Profession of Faith. The Mass was presided over by Cardinal Zenon Grocholewksi, Prefect of the Congregation for Catholic Education.

Pope Benedict XVI sent a message of greeting and encouragement to the participants during his Angelus address on Sunday, March 15:

“This morning the Pauline Jubilee of University Students and Professors, promoted by the Congregation for Catholic Education and

	An overview of the program in English.

the Pontifical Council for Culture, and organized by the Vicariate of Rome, concludes in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. The Jubilee’s theme was “What You Unknowingly Worship, I Proclaim to You: Gospel and Culture Toward a New Humanism.”

“I am very glad for the presence of illustrious professors and delegates from university chaplaincies from every continent here in Rome. I would like for pastoral ministries at universities to develop in all the local Churches, for the formation of young people and the elaboration of a culture inspired by the Gospel. Dear university students and professors, I encourage you and I accompany you in prayer.”

For more information about the European University of Rome, visit the web site at www.unier.it