Upon arrival in Yaoundé, the Holy Father transferred to the Catholic University of Central Africa for the meeting with university students and staff.
As he arrived in the courtyard of the university campus, the Pope was received by the Rector Magnificus, Thomas Bienvenu Tchoungui.
After the welcome bymn, the greeting from the Rector Magnificus and some testimonies, interspersed with musical interludes, Pope Leo XIV delivered his address.
At the end of the meeting, after the blessing and the closing hymn, the Holy Father returned to the apostolic nunciature, where dined privately.
The following is the address delivered by the Pope to those present during the meeting:
Address of the Holy Father
Grand Chancellor,
Dear brothers in the Episcopate,
Reverend Rector,
Distinguished members of the faculty,
Dear students,
Distinguished academic authorities,
Ladies and Gentlemen!
It gives me great joy to address you at the Catholic University of Central Africa, a center of excellence for research, the transmission of knowledge and the formation of so many young people. I express my gratitude to the academic authorities for their warm welcome and for their constant commitment to the service of education. It is a source of hope that this institution, founded in 1989 by the Association of Episcopal Conferences of Central Africa, may serve as a beacon for the Church and for Africa in its search for truth, as well as its promotion of justice and solidarity.
Today more than ever, it is necessary that universities — and all the more so Catholic institutions of higher learning — become true communities of life and research, introducing students and professors alike to a fraternity in knowledge, “as an intrinsic requirement for experiencing in community the joy of the Truth and appreciating more fully its meaning and practical implications. Today our proclamation of the Gospel and the Church’s doctrine are called to promote a culture of encounter, in generous and open cooperation with all the positive forces that contribute to the growth of universal human consciousness. A culture, we might say, of encounter between all the authentic and vital cultures, thanks to a reciprocal exchange of the gifts of each in that luminous space opened up by God’s love for all his creatures. As Pope Benedict XVI pointed out, ‘truth, in fact, is logos which creates dia-logos, and hence communication and communion’” (Francis, Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium, 4b).
Indeed, at a time when many in the world seem to be losing their spiritual and ethical points of reference, finding themselves imprisoned in individualism, superficiality and hypocrisy, the university stands out as a privileged place of friendship, cooperation and, at the same time, of interiority and reflection. From its very origins in the Middle Ages, its founders set Truth as its goal. Today still, professors and students are called to embrace as both their aim and their way of life the common search for truth, for, as Saint John Henry Newman wrote, “All true principles run over with God, all phenomena converge to him” (The Idea of a University, Discourse II).
At the same time, what Newman called the “kindly light” — that is, “the light of faith, joined to the truth of love” — is not “extraneous to the material world, for love is always lived out in body and spirit; the light of faith is an incarnate light radiating from the luminous life of Jesus. It also illumines the material world, trusts its inherent order and knows that it calls us to an ever widening path of harmony and understanding. The gaze of science thus benefits from faith: faith encourages the scientist to remain constantly open to reality in all its inexhaustible richness. Faith awakens the critical sense by preventing research from being satisfied with its own formulae and helps it to realize that nature is always greater. By stimulating wonder before the profound mystery of creation, faith broadens the horizons of reason to shed greater light on the world which discloses itself to scientific investigation” (Francis, Encyclical Letter Lumen Fidei, 34).
Dear friends, Africa can make a fundamental contribution to broadening the overly narrow horizons of a humanity that struggles to hope. In your magnificent continent, researchers are especially called to open themselves to interdisciplinary, international and intercultural perspectives. Today, moreover, there is an urgent need to think about faith within the framework of contemporary cultural contexts and present challenges, so that its beauty and credibility may emerge in diverse settings, especially in those most marked by injustice, inequality, conflict and both material and spiritual degradation.
The greatness of a nation cannot be measured solely by the abundance of its natural resources, nor even by the material wealth of its institutions. No society, in fact, can flourish unless it is grounded in upright consciences, formed in the truth. In this sense, the motto of your university — “In the service of truth and justice” — reminds you that the human conscience, understood as the inner sanctuary where men and women discover themselves drawn by the voice of God, is the very ground upon which just and stable foundations for every society must be laid. To form consciences that are free and endowed with a holy restlessness is a necessary condition for the Christian faith to appear as a fully human proposal. Such a faith is capable of transforming the lives of individuals and of society, of inspiring prophetic change in the face of the tragedies and forms of poverty of our time, and of encouraging a continual search for God that is never satisfied.
It is indeed within the conscience that moral discernment is formed, by which we freely seek what is true and upright. When the conscience takes care to be enlightened and rightly formed, it becomes the source of a coherent way of acting, directed toward the good, justice and peace.
In contemporary societies, and therefore in Cameroon too, we can witness an erosion of the moral values that once guided community life. As a result, today there is a tendency to approve casually certain practices that were once considered unacceptable. This dynamic can be explained in part by social changes, economic pressures and political forces that shape individual and collective behavior. Christians, and especially young African Catholics, must not be afraid of “new things.” Your university, in particular, can form pioneers of a new humanism in the context of the digital revolution. While the African continent is well acquainted with its alluring aspects, it also knows the darker side of the environmental and social devastation caused by the relentless pursuit of raw materials and rare earths. Do not look the other way: this is a service to the truth and to all humanity. Without this demanding educational effort, passive adaptation to dominant paradigms will be mistaken for competence, and the loss of freedom for progress.
This is all the more true in light of the spread of artificial intelligence systems, which increasingly shape and permeate our mentality and social environments. Like every great historical transformation, this too calls not only for technical competence, but also for a humanistic formation capable of making visible the logic behind economics, embedded biases and forms of power that shape our perception of reality. Within digital environments — structured to persuade — interaction is optimized to the point of rendering a real encounter superfluous; the otherness of persons in the flesh is neutralized, and relationships are reduced to functional responses. Dear friends, you, however, are real persons! Creation itself has a body, a breath, a life to be listened to and safeguarded. It “groans and suffers” (cf. Rom 8:22), just as each one of us does.
When simulation becomes the norm, it weakens the human capacity for discernment. As a result, our social bonds close in upon themselves, forming self-referential circuits that no longer expose us to reality. We thus come to live within bubbles, impermeable to one another. Feeling threatened by anyone who is different, we grow unaccustomed to encounter and dialogue. In this way, polarization, conflict, fear and violence spread. What is at stake is not merely the risk of error, but a transformation in our very relationship with truth.
It is precisely in this sphere that the Catholic university is called to assume a responsibility of the highest order. For it does not merely transmit specialized knowledge, but shapes minds capable of discernment and hearts ready for love and service. Above all, it prepares future leaders, public officials, professionals and other actors in society to carry out with integrity the responsibilities entrusted to them, to exercise their duties with uprightness and to situate their activity within an ethical framework at the service of the common good.
Dear sons and daughters of Cameroon, dear students, in the face of the understandable tendency to migrate — which may lead one to believe that elsewhere a better future may be more easily found — I invite you, first and foremost, to respond with an ardent desire to serve your country and to apply the knowledge you are acquiring here to the benefit of your fellow citizens. This is the raison d’être of your university, founded thirty-five years ago to form pastors of souls and lay people committed to society: these are the witnesses of wisdom and justice, of which the African continent needs.
In this regard, I would like to recall an expression of Saint John Paul II: the Catholic university is “born from the heart of the Church” (Apostolic Constitution Ex Corde Ecclesiae, 15 August 1990, 1) and shares in her mission to proclaim the truth that sets us free. This affirmation refers primarily to an intellectual and spiritual imperative: to seek the truth in all its dimensions, with the conviction that faith and reason are not opposed, but rather support one another. Moreover, it reminds us that professors and students of the university are involved in the Church’s task of “proclaiming the good news of Christ to all, in dialogue with the different sciences and in the service of a deeper understanding and application of truth in the life of individuals and society” (Francis, Apostolic Constitution Veritatis Gaudium, 8 December 2017, 5).
In the face of the challenges of our time, the Catholic university occupies a unique and irreplaceable position. In this regard, let us reflect on the pioneers of this institution, who laid the foundations upon which you build today. Among them, I recall in a particular way the Reverend Barthélemy Nyom, who served as Rector for most of the 1990s. Following their example, be ever mindful that, alongside the transmission of knowledge and the development of professional competencies, this university seeks to contribute to the integral formation of the human person. Spiritual and human accompaniment constitutes an essential dimension of the identity of the Catholic university. Through spiritual formation, the initiatives of campus pastoral ministry and moments of reflection, students are invited to deepen their interior life and to orient their engagement in society in the light of authentic and enduring values. In this way, dear students, you learn to become builders of the future of your respective countries and of a world that is more just and humane.
Dear professors, your role is essential. I therefore encourage you to embody the values you wish to impart — above all justice and fairness, integrity, a spirit of service, and a sense of responsibility. Africa and the world stand in need of people who are committed to living according to the Gospel and to placing their talents at the service of the common good. Do not betray this noble ideal! As well as being intellectual guides, be role models whose scientific rigor and personal integrity form the consciences of your students. Africa, indeed, must be freed from the scourge of corruption. For young people, this awareness must take root from their years of formation, thanks to the moral rigor, selflessness and coherence of life shown by their educators and teachers. Day by day, lay the indispensable foundations for the building of a consistent moral and intellectual identity. By bearing witness to the truth — especially in the face of the illusions of ideology and passing fashions — you will foster an environment in which academic excellence is naturally united with human uprightness.
Ladies and gentlemen, the principal virtue that must animate the university community is humility. Whatever our role or our age, we must always remember that we are all disciples — that is, fellow learners with one Teacher, who so loved the world that he gave his life. I thank you, and I impart to you my heartfelt blessing!
