“You are part of a rich legacy, a global family”: Apostolic Nuncio to Catholic University of South Sudan Students

“You are now part of a rich legacy and part of a global family of thousands of Catholic Universities, from Washington to Juba,” the Apostolic Nuncio whose Episcopal Consecration took place in Rome on July 27 told CoUSS students.

Appointed on May 14 as the first-ever resident Apostolic Nuncio to South Sudan, the Irish-born Vatican Diplomat arrived in South Sudan on August 29.

Credit: Sr. Paola Moggi, CMS/Juba/South Sudan

“Thank you for embracing the Pope's decision and for embracing me. Already, South Sudan is beginning to hold a place in my heart, and I am confident this will be a happy and fruitful mission,” Archbishop Horgan said upon his arrival in Juba on August 29, and added, “My dear friends, I am very grateful and deeply touched by your warm welcome.”

In his October 1 discourse with CoUSS students, Archbishop Horgan reflected on some “three central points”, which he said he wanted the students and faculty to bear in mind. 

For one, he invited CoUSS family to recognize the “historical depth and global reach of the Catholic University tradition.”

Credit: Sr. Paola Moggi, CMS/Juba/South Sudan

“I want you to be conscious of what it means to be a student in a Catholic University. The university, as we know it today, in so many ways, developed within the Church. The first universities in the modern sense of the word developed out of the Church’s desire to teach, to form, to instruct,” the Vatican diplomat said. 

He added, “Being a student here means you are joining something deep in history and wide in presence. You are part of that long procession of learning, formation, and concern for the search for truth – this is what all Catholic schools are dedicated to.”

Two, the Catholic Archbishop, who was assigned the Titular See of Árd Sratha asked the invited CoUSS family to explore and foster the intellectual and philosophical foundations of Catholic education at the institution of higher learning.

Credit: Sr. Paola Moggi, CMS/Juba/South Sudan

“The Catholic philosophy is essentially that we are created by a good God to attain eternal happiness. We are created good; creation itself is good. And while it has been blemished by sin, it has been redeemed by Christ,” he explained. 

This philosophy, Archbishop Horgan went on to say, “must animate not just theology and philosophy departments, but the entire university.”

“It is precisely this philosophy that gives the Catholic University its identity and purpose,” he emphasized, and added, “The reason why our civilization is becoming less sane is because it's moving away from the vision of the Catholic philosophy. If we want to retain our sanity, we must remain rooted in that philosophy.”

Credit: Sr. Paola Moggi, CMS/Juba/South Sudan

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“At the heart of Catholic philosophy is the fundamental affirmation that God saw all He had made, and it was good,” the Catholic Archbishop further said.

This, he added, is the “foundation of a life lived in harmony with God’s plan; a plan that includes human flourishing both in this life and in eternity.”

The Juba-based Vatican diplomat also asked the family of CoUSS to foster the spiritual dimension of Catholic University education, developing the intellect and will as gifts from God, given for a purpose. 

Credit: Sr. Paola Moggi, CMS/Juba/South Sudan

“We are not given intellect merely for our own benefit or advancement. Our intellect is given to us so that we might seek and find the truth. And the ultimate truth is God,” he said. 

The Apostolic Nuncio encouraged CoUSS students to see their time at the university as an opportunity for “broader intellectual and spiritual growth.”

“Yes, you are specializing in a particular field, whether it’s business, administration, or another discipline, but your mission is bigger. A Catholic University should also be a place where you develop the practice of thought, of a more profound search for what is true, good, and beautiful,” Archbishop Horgan said during the October 1 event.

He reiterated the need to form not only the intellect but also the will, saying, “We are called to train our intellects towards the truth, and our wills towards the good.”

Credit: Sr. Paola Moggi, CMS/Juba/South Sudan

The Apostolic Nuncio said he hopes the students’ experience at CoUSS would be “deeply transformative.”

“I hope that your time here will not only enrich your knowledge in your chosen field but also give you habits for life; a habit of seeking the truth, a habit of reading, a habit of study, and of seeking to understand more deeply our nature and the reality around us,” he said.

Archbishop Horgan added, “We are all students throughout our lives. We must all continue to search for the truth, to seek it, and to understand it more profoundly.”