Romana

On August 29-30, the first “Conference on Humanism and the University” was held at the University of Montevideo. This first edition was a homage to Blessed John Henry Newman (1801-1890), author of such works as The Idea of a University, Grammar of Assent and An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine. The organizers emphasized Newman’s strong defense of the university as “the appropriate environment for the integral education of the human being.” Newman, founder and first president of the Catholic University of Dublin, had great hopes for a university committed to the truth.

The main speakers were Pádraic Conway (director of the International Center for Newman Studies and Vice President of University College, Dublin), Msgr. Fernando Maria Cavaller (President of the Association of Friends of Newman in Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Maria del Rosario Athié (professor at the Panamerican University, Guadalajara, Mexico).

The series of conferences seeks to reflect on the importance of the humanities in the integral formation of the person in the search for truth.