University of Saint Joseph (USJ) Chancellor-cum- Macau Bishop Stephen Lee Bun-sang and its rector, Prof. Stephen Morgan, met with Pope Francis in Rome on January 19, the local Catholic tertiary education institution announced in a statement on Friday.
The meeting took place at the Centenary Conference of the International Federation of Catholic Universities (IFCU) – the body that gathers together all Catholic Universities around the world, the statement pointed out.
“The Catholic Church is the largest global provider of higher education with over 1,500 universities, colleges, and institutes. Rector Morgan, vice president of the Federation, along with Bishop Lee, were among the first at the conference to be presented to Pope Francis,” the statement said.
According to the statement, the theme of the conference was “The University and the Church” and, in his address, Pope Francis pointed out that Catholic universities were amongst the most important ways in which the Catholic Church serves wider society and contributes to human flourishing.
The statement said that Prof. Morgan told the pope that Catholic higher education started in the Far East with Colégio São Paulo in Macau in 1594.
The pope said he wished for the Catholic universities in China to flourish and to be a witness to truth, humanity and dialogue in a crucially important part of the world, the statement said.
There are five Catholic universities in China – USJ in Macau, the recently established University of St Francis in Hong Kong, Fu Jen Catholic University in New Taipei, Providence University in Taichung, and Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages in Kaohsiung.
This combination shows University of Saint Joseph (USJ) Chancellor-cum-Macau Bishop Stephen Lee Bun-sang and USJ Rector Stephen Morgan meeting with Pope Francis in Rome on January 19. – Photo courtesy of USJ
