Belgrade, November 22, 2024
Photo: spc.rs
A university education should unite both knowledge and virtue, as knowledge without moral character can be more dangerous than ignorance itself.
This was the message of His Holiness Patriarch Porfirije to Serbian college students in his address for International Students’ Day at the University of Belgrade.
His Holiness expressed his joy at being present at “the oldest and most important higher education institution in our nation.” He emphasized the deep historical connection between the Church and education, particularly referencing St. Sava’s role in transforming Serbs from “an ordinary ethnicity to an enlightened nation” through establishing schools and promoting education.
The Patriarch emphasized the university’s dual role as both an educational and spiritual institution. He explained that education provides not only academic knowledge but also “the opportunity to gain experience in what interests us, to build ourselves as individuals, and to acquire the necessary skills” to contribute positively to society. This holistic approach to education, he suggested, helps make “the world a better and more beautiful place to live.”
Central to his message was the insistence that universities must nurture both knowledge and moral character. As he pointedly stated, “knowledge without virtue and morality is often worse and more dangerous than ignorance itself.” The Patriarch stressed that universities shouldn’t be merely places for acquiring practical knowledge, but should follow the ancient tradition of connecting learning with virtue and morality.
He concluded by referencing a maxim about being “hardworking, honest, and frugal,” though, he explained that students should be “frugal not in love towards others, but in egotism, in vanity, in imposing oneself on others with values that the other does not possess.” This framed his overall message about the importance of combining academic excellence with moral development and humility.
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