"We need minds, hearts and hands that are up to the challenge of reality, not the narrowness of ideologies," he told a delegation from the Organization of Catholic Universities of Latin America and the Caribbean on May 4 at the Vatican.

"A Catholic university should be missionary with its doors facing out, given that mission is the inspiration, the impetus, the strength and reward of the whole church," he said.

The pope encouraged delegates to help their students become "social poets" who, by learning "the grammar and vocabulary of humanity, have the spark that allows them to imagine the unexpected."

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The 93 presidents have appealed directly to all 163 Catholic members of Congress, many of whom are graduates of Catholic universities.

"Catholic teaching values the human dignity and worth of all immigrants, regardless of legal status," the academics' letter said. "We remind you that no human being made in the image of God is illegal.

"The Vatican's Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church warns against the exploitation of immigrant workers and says 'immigrants are to be received as persons and helped, together with their families, to become a part of societal life'. We are part of an immigrant Church in an immigrant nation."

One of the signatories, John Garvey, president of the Catholic University of America, said: "One thing immigrants do for the American Catholic Church is they enrich the Church. They're keeping the Catholic Church fresh and the churches full. More and more they're the backbone of parish life."

Support for immigration reform from the Catholic academics comes as members of the House of Representatives are considering an immigration reform bill the Senate passed last month.

That bill would expand provisions for approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants and provide a "pathway to citizenship" as long as a series of new measures for security on the US-Mexico border, including addition of some 40,000 border patrol agents, is first arranged.

President Barack Obama has said that the House is unlikely to pass the bill before its annual August recess.

Religious leaders from some evangelical churches have joined their Catholic colleagues in advocating for reform.

One grouping of evangelical leaders, the Evangelical Immigration Table, is calling for reform that "respects the God-given dignity of every person" and "establishes a path toward legal status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and who wish to become permanent residents".

Sources:

Catholic News Service

Yahoo! News

Religion News Service

Image: Stanford University

Leeds Trinity University College and Newman University College each started as teacher training colleges in the 1960s. Their new status will prove valuable as each institution looks to develop international links.

Although both institutions have held degree-awarding powers for a number of years, the requirement for universities to have at least 4000 students had previously prevented them using the title.

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