A Universidade Católica e a ideia de Pessoa em Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, SJ

Education, for the Society of Jesus, is at the service of the construction of the human being as a person, and cannot be dissociated from the pairing virtus et litterae, virtue and science, wisdom and knowledge. In line with Pedro Arrupe, Peter Hans-Kolvenbach, the 29th Superior General of the Society of Jesus, who dedicated a large part of his writings and reflections to education, states that a student who knows many things, who is educated, but does not have a good heart, and is not a good person – or vice versa – is not prepared to live with and for others. If that student is not educated, he will not be able to help others as he could; if that student is not a good person, that is, if he does not have a good heart, he will not want to help them or, at least, will not be able to do it effectively. The University must educate students who are able to speak to and about the world, who meet mankind’s real problems, who serve it with their research and scientific production. The Catholic University was created with a focus on the good of the human being as a whole and, therefore, it tries to educate students who live in accordance with the ideals that it promotes. The Universities of the Society of Jesus have shared this ideal since their inception. Kolvenbach demonstrates this with his reflections, which we echo in this work.