This morning, in the Paul VI Hall, the Holy Father Leo XIV received in audience the German Catholic Student Associations, to whom he delivered the following address:

Address of the Holy Father

In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Peace be with you!

Dear brothers and sisters, welcome! Herzlich willkommen!

I am told that Germans are very punctual! Ich bin ein Ausländer.

Dear friends,

I am pleased to greet all of you, members of the German Catholic student associations, who are gathering for a joint conference, the Cartellversammlung, for the first time outside of Germany. Your decision to come here to Rome, ad Petri Sedem, is motivated by the Catholic faith that defines you, by the communion that binds us as disciples of Jesus and by the cultural activities you undertake. I would like to reflect briefly on these three aspects to strengthen the bond of fraternity that unites you and your shared dedication to the Church.

Regarding your Catholic identity, your firm commitment to the faith is reflected in the four principles that guide your association: religio, scientia, amicitia and patria. In the face of the despotism and ideologies of the past, the Catholic faith has never been merely a veneer or a label, but rather a way of life to be shared in university and in work settings. Like evangelical leaven, your fraternity continues to grow within scientific and political contexts as well as across various academic, professional and social circles. This communal dimension of your activities benefits not only your country, but also all of Europe, of which Germany is at the center.

To this geographical centrality, you rightly add the cultural centrality of the human person, a creature of God and the architect of his or her own life. Faced with the challenges of the technological revolution, you should devote particular attention to the study and the promotion of our common humanity. In his or her irreducible expression as male or female, the human person is in fact always relational and limited, and therefore called to become a task for oneself and a gift to the other. Just like the exercise of reason, so too does the light of faith illumine the promises and deceptions of the present time, calling on each person to do their best to help build a just and peaceful society.

Regarding the spirit of communion that animates this initiative, I am pleased to recall your motto: In certibus unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas. These words attest to the true foundation, the critical dialogue and constant dedication that characterize your association. The relationship among members of many associations is not limited to sharing knowledge, but matures into reciprocal esteem. It is not confined to ideas but becomes a collaborative practice. As all of you follow Christ, the only Lord and Master of life, you represent Catholic values in society not as those who carry partisan flags, but as representatives of the common good of humanity. In Germany, in Italy and throughout the world, the same Catholic faith strengthens our cooperation, without compromising with the trends of the moment, without placing individualistic preferences ahead of the common Tradition of the Church. In the joy of fraternity, I therefore encourage you to promote the evangelization of culture: your university organizations continually draw in new young people because they bear witness to passion, competence and authentic Christian friendship.

With regard to the diverse cultural activities that you undertake across various fields of study and work, you have come to realize that it is not merely a matter of pursuing a profession (Beruf), but of following a vocation (Berufung). Indeed, the search for truth is a good worth desiring and passing on. As we pursue it methodically, we come to understand that no field of study can be reduced to mere speculation. Precisely because it involves the exercise of both intellect and will, study is rather a commitment, requiring self-discipline and conversion: a transformation of the mind, which we cultivate like fertile soil by honing our tools of the trade. By doing our very best, we become responsible stewards in society without being seduced by careers focused on money. Let us rather recognize that culture is the good of humanity: truth sets us free, while falsehood distorts names and things. In the face of what dehumanizes people – especially the least among us, the poor and the sick – I ask you to be witnesses to Christian humanism. In this regard, I invite you to reflect deeply on what Pope Benedict XVI, a distinguished former member of your association, said: develop a coherent “ecology of man. Man, too, has a nature that he must respect” (Address to the Bundestag,, 22 September 2011). Integral ecology, so dear to Pope Francis (cf. Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ 10–11, 62), sheds light on the fact that the world is full of meaning, and not an inert entity to be shaped arbitrarily or by the thirst for power. We, in fact, are not random aggregates of particles, but bodies open to transcendence: by directing our thirst for life and justice, for wisdom and love, we discover together the truth in knowing, doing and believing.

After all, human beings are always seeking God, and he has revealed himself to us as our Saviour. It is not in spite of our activities, then, but precisely through what we do that we develop a relationship with God, which becomes a path to holiness. Yes, the cultural mission of Christians is to direct society and history toward this pinnacle of a God-centered life. Through the intercession of Saint Boniface, evangelizer of Germany, may you be witnesses to this wisdom of the Gospel in German and in European society. With esteem for your associations, I gladly impart my Apostolic Blessing upon all of you and your loved ones. Danke sehr!

Let us pray together: Pater noster …