1. Why should university students participate in the UNIV Forum?

       For many reasons. Above all for the opportunity to live Holy Week in Rome. Since discussing that alone could take up the entire interview, I will mention just two other motives that are tied to the nature of the Forum as such. At the heart of the UNIV Forum is the conviction that we university students cannot remain inactive in the face of the problems of our time, we are rather called to lead society forward. In this context, the first reason to attend is the preparation that participation in the Forum supposes. Reflecting on the theme of the Forum in the months leading up to UNIV helps one to think about society, to recognize its problems, and to formulate possible solutions.

      The second motive would be the actual participation in the Forum in Rome. This offers a unique possibility of getting to know many students from other continents: learning how they think, seeing what they do to improve the world in which they live, sharing and comparing the work done leading up to the Forum, making friends. This experience is incredibly enriching, but of course, the best way to understand what I’m talking about is to come to Rome and see it for oneself.

2. What were the reasons behind the selection of the theme of the 2010 UNIV Forum?

      Recently there has been a lot of talk about the various crises of our time. In my opinion, at the root of these diverse crises lies an identity crisis which affects society itself. Benedict XVI has spoken about this on various occasions and has argued that a Christian worldview provides the best foundation for coexistence in society. It’s undeniable that leaders of states need to think deeply about society’s foundations. This seems especially true in the times that we are currently living in, when so much depends on how such reflection by world leaders turns out. Of course, today’s university students are tomorrow’s leaders. For these reasons, the Forum’s theme seems to me more important than ever.

3. But doesn’t the theme seem a bit too abstract? What does it have to do with the day to day life of the great majority of university students?

      Our current culture is extremely complex and fragmented. For this reason it is important not only to develop individual sciences and disciplines but also to ponder and discuss their common foundation. The crucial questions of our generation simply cannot be dealt with in isolation. In the Forum we thus encourage students to share their experiences and opinions. In this interchange, each student will naturally bring to the discussion the point of view specific to his field of study and formed by his personal experience of university life.

      At the same time, together with this interdisciplinary approach, there has to be a unifying element in order to avoid a simple juxtaposition of diverse mindsets. Supplying this unifying principle is perhaps the most important role of the university. John Paul II once wrote that the university is the place where the diverse perspectives of learning can unite in a dynamic synthesis which gives meaning to man’s life and destiny. Given Christianity’s contribution to the development of the sciences over the course of history, there is good reason to think that it can continue to be a positive influence in our current efforts to understand and improve our common lot.

4. Why should Christianity in particular inspire a global culture? Couldn’t Islam do the same? And wouldn’t it be even better to construct a global culture upon those common ethical ideals shared by all the major religions?

      First of all, I think it’s important to understand that ethics doesn’t exist without metaphysics. That is, there is no such thing as a neutral or isolated ethical system or, for that matter, a neutral society or state. In reality, every state, society and culture is based on a certain conception of man, of what is good, and, ultimately, of God. The more explicit these underlying conceptions become, the more we will be able to have a true dialogue.

      On the other hand, as Vatican Council II taught and the current Pope has repeated, Christianity doesn’t reject any of the positive and true elements present in other religions. Therefore, proposing Christianity as an inspiration and agent of a global culture doesn’t at all imply the rejection of other influences, but rather welcomes them.

      Finally, it seems to me that at times we forget that the culture in which we live, and this doesn’t just apply to European culture, is a product of Christianity—at least to a certain extent. In fact, this dependence is something which should be reflected upon, and we hope that it will be in the context of the UNIV Forum. In any event, before attempting to create a new global culture we should first know our own cultural roots very well. We can only update and improve our cultural inheritance—and thus make it fruitful both in the present and the future—after understanding it deeply.

5. What should be the main objective for Forum attendees? What can they learn and what impressions will they bring back to their countries?

      The UNIV Forum experience is difficult to translate into words. Above all, I think UNIV 2010 can help us to acquire a new awareness of the roots of our culture. These roots are the ground upon which we will build the future. I should also mention as key objectives friendship and collaboration. Since our challenges are global, the solutions will have to be as well. In this sense, the Forum is something like a school, and perhaps also like a spark. Finally, I would also underline hope and the desire to change the world as key elements. In the face of the attempt on the part of some states to create a fictitious and illusory ‘neutrality’, we university students can be a creative minority which effectively changes the face of the world in which we live.

*Robert Weber (born in Bregenz, Austria in 1977) studied Law in Vienna.  After completing his degree he worked in the Institute of European Law in the University of Graz.  He is currently studying Canon Law in Rome.