Education as a ‘Renewed Perspective’: APRA and Pope Leo XIV’s Homily at the Jubilee

The Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum (APRA) participated in the Holy Mass for university students of the pontifical institutions, presided over by Pope Leo XIV in St. Peter’s Basilica, Vatican City, on October 27, as part of the Jubilee of Educational Life.

The event served as a key moment of reflection on the mission of the Church’s universities. The Holy Father offered a true “roadmap” for ecclesial academia, beginning from the Gospel image of the bent-over woman — a symbol of an intellect folded in on itself (Lk 13:10–17).

The Central Message: Healing the Gaze

The Rector of APRA, Fr. José Enrique Oyarzún, LC, embraced the papal vision: study and research must act as a healing of the gaze, opening it to a broader horizon.

The homily outlined four imperatives for the Pontifical Universities, which APRA commits to follow:

• Form “Integrative Gazes”: Counter disciplinary fragmentation and maintain the theological horizon as the unifying element.

• Educate as “Raising the Other”: Help students discover their intellectual and spiritual dignity, going beyond the mere transmission of knowledge.

• Study as “Intellectual Charity”: Live the search for truth as an act of service and love, capable of generating meaning and hope.

• Communities of “Filial Action and Hope”: Live the pursuit of truth as a shared journey, rooted in God’s loving plan.

In summary, Pope Leo XIV’s homily was a powerful call to redeem the intellect and to transform academic activity into a form of liberation from selfishness — opening the mind to freedom and hope.