Characteristics Of The Catholic University In The Encyclical Ex Corde Ecclesia

Characteristics of the Catholic University in the Encyclical Ex Corde Ecclesia

 The Encyclical Ex Corde Ecclesiae is an apostolic constitution, proclaimed by Pope John Paul II in the last decade of the 19th century where the different regulations or statutes that were to be fulfilled in the institutions of this character were detailed in order to regulate the legislationeducational;Then, when talking about the conception of Catholic universities, reference is made to this educational and religious field based on the principles of the aforementioned text, it must be emphasized that the fundamental objective of the creation of these institutions is to train students with potentialities and creativity;so that the use of knowledge serves to radiate humanity. 

Catholic universities among their principles first consider love from students to knowledge, through the interior enrichment of the person;It is about finding the search for truth to communicate their knowledge in a humble and altruistic way forming new generations with correct learning and reasoning that help overcome social problems and in the future serve humanity.  

Not because it is a religious education is merely applied to the biblical field, in fact, social issues of great personal relevance are considered directly involving sciences and technologies, through the Catholic University a number of scientific discoveries can be made known and alsotechnological ones that have helped the improvement of social and culturally speaking life;These social advances allow economic and industrial increase;These foundations are under divine inspiration and blessings received for their good actions.

As the third point, the Catholic University is an academic unit that has certain requirements that must be met, rigor and criticality should help improve human dignity also develop personal growth;These characteristics collaborate in the research and teaching of the different communities;thus guaranteeing academic freedom, the security of their rights and respect for their own truth.

While it is true to maintain Catholic foundations in a liberal world, it is quite difficult, so it has been in need of minimal reforming certain criteria, for example, in the institutional guarantee before society and culture, since it must be Catholicand fulfill Christian inspiration, with reflection before the Catholic faith to answer questions and know the truth through research;The Christian message will always be represented by the Church, but still its university evocation will not be missing. The Christian University considers that religious service gives meaning to life and allows full happiness to be achieved.  

A fifth characteristic interferes with the Catholic University with the specific commitment between faith, dialogue and reason, conceptualizing that faith "is a condition of possibility for human existence that allows explanations to be given to phenomena that escape rational explanation";On the other hand, the reason "is the one that systematically unifies all the acts of understanding so that this link the phenomena and creates the concepts", thus needing the dialogue to be able to express everything internalized in the process of faith and reason improving theUnderstanding the sense of human life. 

Catholic universities in terms of professionals who hire seek to improve their personal competence and also comply with the different contents, objectives, methods and results of education, teachers are “witnesses” of the Christian experience obtained throughthe faith and wisdom that give him the satisfaction of a rather quiet and peaceful life;As for students, humanistic and specialized development is quite rich and harmonious because through the development of admiration, intuition, contemplation that forms a personal, religious and moral judgment, qualifying as witnesses of Christ and prepared to develop their social role. This type of universities has its own identity, objective and futuristic mission, but still must be authorized by the competent ecclesiastical authority of the case for its execution, the university and the Church are related by the diocesans who help and contribute to the evangelizing action ofthe faculty and the church itself.

By way of conclusion, the great impact that former Corde Ecclesiae had in the academic field of Catholic universities;Higher education has contributed to the improvement of the quality of life, in addition to being the cause of some of the most important technological and scientific advances in society. Knowledge allows you to discover a new relative truth;Religion is immersed in many factors of everyday life, but studying thanks to faith and reason would undoubted. "Who does not live to serve, does not serve to live".