George Cardinal Pell of Sydney encourages college students attending World Youth Day and emphasizes the importance of campus ministry work in an article prepared for the quarterly bulletin of The Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education, a division of The Cardinal Newman Society.

“I am deeply committed to what universities can do, and in particular to what Catholic universities can do,” writes Cardinal Pell. “I believe wholeheartedly in the importance of university education and the role of the Church in helping to form the next generation of leaders. For secular universities, this means a serious commitment by the Church to chaplaincy services.”

Speaking of college students at World Youth Day, Cardinal Pell writes, “I hope many of these pilgrims will come back to their universities and studies with a renewed commitment and energy to spreading the word on campus. Pope Benedict XVI is not only a wonderful pastor, but an intellectual in the best traditions of Catholic Europe and European university life. University students in particular will find much to inspire them and to pray about in the Pope’s teaching during World Youth Day.”

Cardinal Pell’s article, “World Youth Day and Catholic University Students,” will appear in the September issue of The Center’s Bulletin of Catholic Higher Education. An advance copy of the article is now available at www.CatholicHigherEd.org.

Joseph A. Esposito, director of The Center, said, “We are honored to have Cardinal Pell’s insights on the role of young people and campus ministry in the work of the Church. He has been a steadfast supporter of Catholic education in Australia, and his comments are helpful to all of us who work with Catholic colleges and students.”

Cardinal Pell had been Archbishop of Sydney for two years before Pope John Paul II named him a cardinal in 2003. He previously served for nearly five years as Archbishop of Melbourne.

World Youth Day is being held in Sydney from July 15 to July 20. It is expected to draw 125,000 pilgrims, including Pope Benedict XVI.

As a service to interested Catholics, The Center for the Study of Catholic Higher Education has a blogger reporting daily from World Youth Day. Katherine Thomas’s reports can be found on the Center’s website, www.CatholicHigherEd.org.