Oldal 15 [15]
OCR
1. INTRODUCTION 1.1. Where the Thought Is Born The year 2023 was in many ways a milestone in the history of Pázmány Péter Catholic University (PPCU), especially because His Holiness Pope Francis visited the Faculty of Information Technology and Bionics (PPCUFITB). He began his speech with’ a metaphor related to the Danube, according to which the river connects countries, peoples and cultures in a geographical and historical sense, just like culture. In his address at our university (PPCU) on April 30, 2023, His Holiness emphasized that in the contemporary, rapidly evolving world, where human interactions with technology increasingly foster a one-dimensional existence, community engagement is diminishing, and individuals are becoming desensitized, with the erosion of national languages and cultures occurring under the guise of universal peace. Consequently, the role of culture and the universities in preserving and promoting cultural identity becomes increasingly vital. “The university, as its name suggests, is the place where thought is born, grows and matures, is open and symphonic in nature; not monotonous, not closed, but open and symphonic This is the temple where knowledge is called to free itself from the narrow limits of possession and accumulation, to become a culture, that is, to be a ‘cultivation’ of man and the relationships that underpin him: with the supernatural, with society, with history, with creation. In this regard, the Second Vatican Council states that culture must serve the complete perfection of the personality, the good of the community and of the whole human race. For this reason, the spirit must be cultivated in such a way as to increase its capacity for admiration, for insight, for contemplation, for independent judgment, and for the > Pope Francis, Address to Academics and Cultural Representatives: “The Key to Truth Is Knowledge” (speech, Pazmany Péter Catholic University, Budapest, 30 April 2023), Magyar Kurir, https:// www.magyarkurir. hu/hirek/ferenc-papa-az-egyetemi-es-kulturalis-elet-kepviseloihez-azigazsag-kulcsa-megismeres. 13
