To all members of the university community:

On the occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of this Catholic University, I wish to extend my greetings to all who are part of the institution. Celebrating sixty years allows us to recognize a fruitful history of service to the Church and to society.

The university, in its deepest identity, is not simply a center for technical training or a mere space for the production of utilitarian knowledge. It is, above all, “an academic community which, in a rigorous and critical manner, contributes to the protection and development of human dignity and cultural heritage through research, teaching and the various services offered to local, national and international communities” ( St. John Paul II ,  Apostolic Constitution  Ex Corde Ecclesiae , 12).

Therefore, the university exists to promote the integral formation of the person, since true education “proposes the formation of the human person in relation to his ultimate end and to the good of the various societies of which man is a member” (cf.  Decl.  Gravissimus educationis , 1). Within this framework, intellectual and moral faculties, responsible freedom, and commitment to the common good are cultivated harmoniously, forming individuals capable of rigorous thought, open dialogue, and upright action.

The motto that identifies his university,  Veritas in Caritate (Truth in Charity ), is then understood with particular depth. This expression is an eloquent summary of the university’s mission, undertaken from a faith-based perspective. For the Christian tradition, truth is not merely an intellectual ideal or an abstract concept, but finds its identity in the very person of Jesus Christ, who reveals himself precisely as “the Truth” ( Jn  14:6) who “fully reveals man to himself and makes known to him the sublimity of his calling” ( Pastoral Constitution  Gaudium et spes , 22).

From this perspective, truth, sought with intellectual rigor and scientific honesty, finds its horizon and ultimate criterion in charity, for speaking the truth is, for Christians, an act of love that builds up, heals, and guides the person toward their fullness. Recognizing that Truth has a personal face and a relational dimension prevents knowledge from becoming an instrument of domination, exclusion, or mere utility, instead directing it toward the service of justice and the dignity of every human being, especially the most vulnerable.

Thus,  Veritas in Caritate  expresses the vocation of an academic community that aspires to integrate knowledge and life, intelligence and ethics, faith and reason, academic excellence and social responsibility. Research, teaching, and professional training are conceived as services, not as self-referential ends, and are directed toward building a more humane, just, and transcendent society, where knowledge is always at the service of the person.

As we celebrate sixty years of existence, the Bolivian Catholic University is called to look back with gratitude on the path traveled and to courageously renew its commitment to this mission. In a cultural context marked by the fragmentation of knowledge, relativism, and the instrumentalization of knowledge,  Veritas in Caritate  remains a criterion for academic and pastoral discernment, and a demanding program for the future in which you are called to be “the light of the world” (cf.  Mt  5:14).

Entrusting the academic, formative and community work of this University to the maternal intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Throne of Wisdom, I wholeheartedly impart to you the Apostolic Blessing with affection and gratitude.

Vatican City, February 19, 2026. 

LEÓN PP. XIV