Cardinal Antonio Cañizares-Llovera, the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, gave the principal address at the official opening of the academic year at Sant’ Anselmo in October.
Cardinal Cañizares-Llovera’s address touched upon the teachings of the Church on the relationship between liturgy and Christian life which emerged from the Second Vatican Council. Turning to the constitution on the liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, he reminded the assembled faculty, students, and guests of the Athenaeum that any authentic Christian spirituality must flow from the celebration of the liturgy—the “source and summit” of the Church’s pastoral life and activity.
Cardinal Cañizares-Llovera lauded the work of the students and faculty of Sant’ Anselmo, noting that their labors have contributed greatly to the growth and the vitality of the Church in the four decades since the conclusion of Vatican II. He exhorted all present to continue striving to strengthen the Church in its missionary vocation, bringing the results of their theological endeavors to bear upon the task of evangelization.
Speaking of the importance of the studies undertaken at Sant’ Anselmo, Cardinal Cañizares-Llovera noted how the revival of the liturgy since the Vatican Council has brought to the faithful a fuller sense of the true and abiding presence of Christ in the midst of the Church. He urged the Benedictine monks of Sant’ Anselmo—who played an important role in the reform of the liturgy during and after the Council—and all of those working in their home abbeys and communities around the world to deepen their efforts to bring the living presence of Christ to all of the faithful.
The Cardinal concluded his remarks by wishing the entire assembly of students, faculty, and guests a happy and fruitful new academic year.