Vatican City, Nov 9, 2007 / 07:00 am
“Today as in the past, people who wish to be Christ's disciples are called to go against the tide,” said Pope Benedict to a group of Catholic university students today. He also told the young scholars-in-training “not to fear choosing 'alternative' paths” that go against modern culture.
Benedict XVI’s remarks came as he spoke to a delegation from the Italian Catholic University Federation (FUCI) on the occasion their 110th anniversary.
The Pope praised FUCI for contributing “to the formation of entire generations of exemplary Christians who have proved capable of translating the Gospel into life and with life, dedicating themselves in the cultural, civil, social and ecclesial fields."
As examples of their influence the Holy Father pointed to Blesseds Piergiorgio Frassati and Alberto Marvelli, the Italian politicians Aldo Moro and Vittorio Bachelet, "both barbarously murdered," and Paul VI "who was the principal ecclesiastical assistant to FUCI during the difficult years of fascism."