From His Eminence - a message to the graduates

His Eminence Ricardo Cardinal Vidal was conferred by the University of the Visayas on March 17, 2009, the degree of Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa, on the occasion of its 83rd commencement exercises. The following is an excerpt of the Cardinal's acceptance speech and message to the graduates:

My earliest memory of the University of the Visayas was not anything that pertained to the academe. It was more down-to-earth, pertaining to a basic human need. It was my first fiesta celebration in the Cathedral. People from everywhere came to partake of the feast that was being served at the convent … The next day, I sat down for breakfast only to realize we had no more china and silver left. That was the first lesson I learned. Charity means giving food, but spare the china and the silver! At mass, I announced to the congregation that we have no more tableware in the convent.

Before that day ended, boxes of plates, spoons and forks arrived, courtesy of Inday Pining Rivera Gullas. That was the second lesson I learned that day: That even though I may have been robbed blind, I could always count on a good neighbor who never hesitated to lend a hand: Inday Pining - mother of Eddie, Dodong and Inday Sering, matriarch of the Gullas Family, model and inspiration of the University of the Visayas.

If the University of the Visayas continues to uphold the values of compassion, of sensitivity to the needs of the poor, I believe it is because the spirit of Inday Pining continues to live on in these halls. Even before I asked the Catholic schools not to raise their tuition fees on the account of the economic crisis, the University of the Visayas had already reduced its tuition - take note: Reduce, not just freeze tuition increase. And UV is not even technically a Catholic institution. It is this sensitivity to the needs of the poor that makes UV a cut above other schools. But make no mistake about it: UV does not cut corners just to be sensitive; this University does not compromise excellence for the sake of making education affordable.

One endeavor that exemplifies UV's commitment to excellence while making education accessible is the UV Chorale. The choir has won awards in Busan, astounded the World Youth Day delegates in Sydney, and uplifted my spirit in the privacy of my own residence. Whether on the international stage or in the home of an old man like me, the choir members sing their heart out and always give the best performance of their lives. It is for this reason that I gratefully and humbly accept this conferment of the degree of Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa from the University of the Visayas. I am proud to be an alumnus of UV, even if only in an honorary sense.

The foundation of this University is its faith in humanity, expressed in many ways by its various endeavors, but nowhere exemplified than in the humanity of its late matriarch, Inday Pining Rivera Gullas. The greatest legacy that Inday Pining left to her children and to this University is the gift of faith. Her faith in humanity is ultimately founded on her faith in God. At a time when humanism has begun to break off from its religious anchor, I would like to stress once again the undeniable link between humanism and Godliness.

Today, modern science has made the claims of faith seem archaic and outdated. Science, after all, has made gigantic steps towards making life more comfortable and more efficient. Faith, on the other hand, especially faith in God, has only made life more miserable, or so they say. Yet, the present economic crisis has shown to us the limits of science and technology. Although science and technology have created new sources of wealth, wealth per se, does not count for anything unless a society is founded on truthfulness and mutual trust. For no matter how wealthy a society may be, if those who manage its wealth no longer work for the common good but focus more on how to secure their own future, that society is bound to collapse.

Native values such as honesty and sincerity, trustworthiness and mutual concern, these are the foundation stones of a stable society. At the heart of these values is faith. Faith, according to Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical Fides et Ratio, is founded on belief. Science, on the other hand, is founded on evidence. The difference between the two is that belief is "often more humanly richer than evidence because it involves an interpersonal relationship and brings into play not only a person's capacity to know but also a deeper capacity to entrust oneself to others...

Thus, I appeal to you today, my dear Students, to cultivate reason and deepen your faith, because it is these twin faculties that will make you soar towards the truth. Actually, my fear for young people these days is not that they will reject either faith or reason to highlight only one or the other. The greater harm is when you choose neither faith nor reason, but the appetites. If that is what you do, our destiny as a nation is indeed going to the dogs...

 The role of education is precisely to cultivate the higher powers of man, so that the appetites, useful only as the source of man's primal energies, can be harnessed for the greater good. I hope and pray that when the education you receive from the University of the Visayas, whose mission is to "develop a new breed of leaders who are morally upright and spiritually inspired," you will indeed grow in wisdom and awareness of God to serve well our country and our people.

In closing, I thank the Administration, Faculty, Staff and the Students of this venerable University for conferring on me this honorary degree. Though I may be advanced in age, I will strive to do you proud by living always according to the brand of humanism that UV espouses; a humanism that is rooted firmly on faith.

* * *

Email: [email protected]