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Doing good in the community of Gál Ferenc University means first and foremost to teach well, to a high standard and to learn well. This was said by László Kiss-Rigó, Bishop of the Szeged-Csanád Diocese in Szeged Cathedral on Saturday at the opening ceremony of the university.

– For us today, the liturgical colour red does not refer to the Holy Spirit, but to a historical date. 14 September is the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross,” the Bishop of the Szeged-Csanád Diocese said on Saturday at the opening ceremony of the academic year of the Gál Ferenc University in the Dome of Szeged.

László Kiss-Rigó said that the cross was used for many “silly things”, whether ideological or even fashionable.

The Bishop also said that doing good in the community of Gál Ferenc University means, first of all, teaching well, at a high level, and learning well.

The Parliamentary Secretary of State of the Ministry of Culture and Innovation said that the university, with its high-quality education, contributes to attracting the interest of young people and to the quality of their careers.

Róbert Zsigó added that the number of applicants to higher education in the 2024/25 academic year was over 120,000, of whom more than 90,000 were admitted to one of the institutions they had designated. The largest numbers of applicants were in the fields of economics, education and health.

The politician also said that it was important for a rural higher education institution to show students during their studies what they could expect from the knowledge they had acquired. In order to offer students an alternative, it is essential that the institution makes contact with the economic and social players in the region. In this way, they can ensure a smooth start to their careers and the economic development of the region, not to mention the strengthening of its culture.

According to Róbert Zsigó, a religious institution has not only a responsibility and a mission, but also a mission. Quoting Pope John Paul II, he said that a Catholic university is an institution that is largely concerned with secular sciences and that has an institutional commitment to carry out all its teaching, research and educational activities in the spirit of the Catholic faith.

– It is the ecclesial ideas incorporated into secular courses and the Christian values transmitted by the teachers that make Gál Ferenc University more than just a university,” said Róbert Zsigó, addressing the students: can be proud to be citizens of a university of sure faith and value, which has stood up for its students and Christianity even in the difficult years of persecution.

Photos: Sándor Gémes