COMMON SENSE AND CHATGPT

 Common Sense does not live in ChatGpt.

The inability of AI systems to access the meaning of what they process makes them 'inhuman'.  The alienation of those who have to train them exacerbates the problem.

 The machine lacks a body, so its learning is based only on words.  To remedy this, it is not enough to increase the amount of text, especially if it is generated by other AI programmes.

 

- by VINCENZO AMBRIOLA

  "Dad, what is a sycamore tree?" Most of us would not know how to answer this question. Perhaps some know it is a tree, from the Gospel passage of Zacchaeus. And then from reading The Shadow of the Sycamore by John Grisham. The cooler ones might remember Down by the sycamore tree, a famous jazz tune by Stan Getz. But how many would be able to recognise a sycamore tree in a botanical garden? In our minds, words are linked both to real-world experiences through the five senses and to other words, in what constitutes an enormous semantic network managed by billions of neurons and synapses that connect them. The word sycamore, if present in this network, could be linked to the concepts of tree, book or jazz. That is why we would be able to answer a curious child.

Generative artificial intelligence, the one behind the operation of ChatGpt and many other similar systems, works by linking words together. Words are analysed in the sentences in which they appear, calculating the probability that they are associated with other words. When the user dialogues with the artificial intelligence system, the response is constructed using the neural network within it, word by word according to a process that also uses some randomness. Formulated at two different instants, the same question can result in a different answer. The substantial difference that exists between these systems and the human mind is the absence of information coming from reality and the total dependence on the words used during their learning. Basically, it is a-sensory knowledge combined with a predominantly statistical manipulation of words (treated as abstract symbols). Interaction with reality is thus what characterises us humans and transforms a continuous flow of information into verbally encoded knowledge.

Much of this knowledge constitutes 'common sense', a heritage passed on from generation to generation that enables us to survive in our environment and interact with other human beings, sharing the profound meaning of words. Words that for us are not just symbols, but semantic markers of reality. Common sense has always been and still is the subject of study and research. The development of computer science is closely linked to the many possible ways of capturing and representing it in so-called ontologies and using it in deductive, inductive and abductive automatic reasoning systems. Since the time of Aristotle, logic has been the greatest conceptual challenge for mankind.

  "We can know more than we can say," so wrote Michael Polanyi in his 1966 essay The Unexpressed Knowledge, in which he presented his research on implicit or tacit knowledge. At a time strongly influenced by a rationalist approach, the birth of electronic calculators and the ideas of Alan Turing, Polanyi questioned the possibility that a human being could have complete and explicit control over everything he knew. This was a strong and orthodox position, which rejected the project of formally codifying knowledge and then using it in a computational context.

  Generative artificial intelligence systems do not possess the equivalent of common sense, let alone an implicit knowledge of what they have learnt. They do not need common sense for survival, and, above all, it cannot be acquired through a sensory apparatus that they lack. They learn only through the words used in training and interact with humans only through these words. They are not able to move us with a look or calm us with a caress. To do this they would have to have a body, but then they would be robots and not conversational bots. In a recent article, Christopher Richardson and Larry Heck describe the state of the art of research projects that aim to add common sense into generative artificial intelligence systems. The negative conclusion of this study leaves no doubt when it states that "current systems exhibit limited common sense reasoning capabilities and negative effects on natural interactions".

 Training an AI system using a large amount of text is not enough. The neural network within it can be confused by relations between words that produce responses without any (common) sense, also called hallucinations. Further training is required. In many parts of the world (Kenya, Nepal, Malaysia, the Philippines, India), hundreds of thousands of individuals spend their day in front of a computer screen, interacting with the system, correcting its responses, identifying hallucinations. A tedious and repetitive job often underpaid and on the edge of economic survival. In 2007, Fei Li, then a professor at Princeton and an expert in AI, declared that to improve the quality of image recognition it would be necessary to manually tag millions of images and not a few tens of thousands. She was right and her strategy caused a new springtime for artificial intelligence.

Human nature wants the person in control of the machines and not subject to their domination. A group of researchers at Rice University recently discovered that the humans in charge of training AI systems, to relieve a repetitive and tedious operating procedure, use, however, these very same systems, in a way violating the indications they receive. In practice, the indications given by the trainers are generated 'synthetically' by the systems they are training, in what we can metaphorically call a 'computer incest' that could slowly degrade the quality of the trained neural network. The same problem is encountered when creating a new AI system, using texts from the Internet, which are increasingly generated by other AI systems.

Generative artificial intelligence is still in its infancy and, as such, is destined to grow and evolve. Its training based on human-produced texts makes it inevitably human-like. Its enormous computing power makes it perceived as superhuman, when for instance it can perform tasks that would be inconceivable to us in terms of the amount of calculation. The absence of common sense, however, reveals its inherent and inevitable inhumanity. At the present time, the most likely hypothesis is that AI will become increasingly superhuman (increase in knowledge and performance) but also increasingly less inhuman (evolution of algorithms, sense management). In the background remains the hypothesis that at some point some form of artificial consciousness may emerge that would even make it autonomous.

 

 www.avvenire.it

 

REDES SOCIALES Y ODIO

Atención a la difusión del odio a través de los redes sociales

El Papa Francisco se reunió en el Vaticano con los miembros de la Red Internacional de Legisladores Católicos, cuyo objetivo es formar a una nueva generación de líderes capaces de promover la doctrina social de la Iglesia en la esfera pública. El Pontífice advirtió ante los riesgos de la tecnocracia dominante en la actualidad, que tiende a "cosificar" a las personas y los recursos naturales

 -Adriana Masotti – Ciudad del Vaticano

 El tema elegido para la 14ª reunión anual en la localidad italiana de Frascati del International Catholic Legislators Network, una red internacional no partidista de legisladores católicos fundada en Austria en el 2010, se centra en el "paradigma tecnocrático" dominante en la actualidad que – tal como afirmó el Papa Francisco – "toca aspectos vitales" de la existencia de cada uno de nosotros y plantea "profundos interrogantes" sobre el lugar y la acción de la persona humana en el mundo.

El peligro de la "cosificación

Un primer aspecto preocupante – señaló Francisco al dirigirse a los casi doscientos miembros de la Red a quienes recibió en la Sala Clementina – es el uso distorsionado de la libertad que el "paradigma tecnocrático" induce en las personas, y explicó:

“Lo vemos cuando se anima más a hombres y mujeres a ejercer un control que una custodia responsable sobre los ‘objetos’ materiales o económicos, los recursos naturales de nuestra casa común o incluso los unos sobre los otros. Esta ‘cosificación’ – y la palabra es correcta, ¿eh?, ‘cosificación’ – que en última instancia tiene un impacto negativo en los miembros más pobres y frágiles de la sociedad, puede tener lugar directa o indirectamente, a través de elecciones cotidianas que pueden parecer neutras, pero que en realidad son pertinentes para el tipo de vida social que uno pretende desarrollar”

No a las prácticas que fomentan el odio y la división

El Papa reiteró que la visión cristiana pone en el centro el valor y la dignidad de la persona y observó que el hecho mismo de constituir una Red internacional establece "un marco de referencia" para la acción de la Red cuyo objetivo – recordó Francisco – es "unir en comunidad a una nueva generación de líderes cristianos valientes". La finalidad de muchas redes o plataformas mediáticas – subrayó a continuación el Santo Padre – es conectar a las personas haciéndolas sentir parte de "algo más grande que ellas” y reconoció que mucho es el bien que producen. A la vez que prosiguió diciendo:

“Pero, al mismo tiempo, es necesario estar alerta, porque, lamentablemente, en estos canales de comunicación también se pueden encontrar prácticas deshumanizadoras de matriz tecnocrática, como la difusión deliberada de noticias falsas, las fake news, el fomento de actitudes de odio y división – propaganda partidista – la reducción de las relaciones humanas a algoritmos, por no hablar del fomento de falsos sentidos de pertenencia, especialmente entre los jóvenes, que pueden conducir al aislamiento y la soledad”

La conexión y el propósito común reflejan la vida de la Iglesia

Sólo la difusión de "una cultura del encuentro auténtico", basada en el respeto y la escucha también de quien piensa diferente, puede superar el "uso distorsionado de los encuentros virtuales", advirtió el Papa Francisco, y en esto, dijo a los participantes en el encuentro, su organización "puede ofrecer un ejemplo". A continuación, afirmó que la finalidad de toda red, además de conectar a las personas, es "permitirles cooperar para alcanzar un objetivo común".

“Estos dos aspectos – conexión y propósito común – caracterizan su trabajo y, al mismo, tiempo reflejan la vida misma de la Iglesia, pueblo de Dios llamado a vivir en comunión y en misión”

Una alternativa a la tiranía tecnocrática

Una red verdaderamente cristiana, señaló el Papa, es por tanto en sí misma "una respuesta a las tendencias deshumanizadoras". Y concluyó dirigiéndose a los miembros de la Red Internacional de Legisladores Católicos con palabras que son una orientación para la acción y un deseo:

“Manteniéndose como una Red internacional auténticamente católica, señalarán de forma creíble una alternativa a la tiranía tecnocrática que induce a nuestros hermanos y hermanas a apropiarse sin más de los recursos de la naturaleza y de la existencia humana, disminuyendo la capacidad de tomar decisiones y de vivir vidas auténticamente libres”

DISCORSO DEL PAPA

L'ESCLAVAGE DE LA DROGUE

 François: relevons ceux qui tombent dans l'esclavage de la drogue

 Dans un message adressé aux participants du 60e Congrès international des toxicologues légistes, qui se tient actuellement à Rome, le Pape exprime sa préoccupation face à l'augmentation de la consommation de drogues chez les adolescents et les jeunes. On ne peut rester indifférent, écrit-il, car derrière les addictions se cachent des expériences concrètes, des histoires de solitude, d'inégalité, d'exclusion, de manque d'intégration.

 

-Francesca Sabatinelli - Cité du Vatican

L'abus et la hausse de la consommation de drogues chez les adolescents et les jeunes, ainsi que l'augmentation des ventes de drogues sur les « marchés numériques» du dark web, suscitent une inquiétude croissante. Le Pape confie sa préoccupation dans un message envoyé aux participants du 60e Congrès international des toxicologues légistes, qui se tient à Rome du 27 au 31 août, et qu'il remercie pour « l’engagement, le temps et l'énergie» consacrés à la prévention et à la lutte contre la toxicomanie.

 Le danger des nouvelles substances psychoactives

La délicatesse des phases de l'adolescence et de la jeunesse, ajoutée à la fragilité et à l'insécurité des sociétés actuelles, sont des facteurs - observe François - qui peuvent pousser à la recherche de nouvelles expériences. Se mesurer à l'inédit, explorer l'inconnu, la peur de se sentir exclu et le besoin de socialiser avec ses pairs sont des éléments de risque qui peuvent conduire les jeunes «à des choix et à des comportements dangereux, comme la consommation de substances psychoactives et l'abus d'alcool, ou à l’éventualité de se retrouver dans des situations extrêmes, virtuelles ou réelles». Dans son message, le Souverain pontife souligne le danger des nouvelles substances psychoactives (NPS) qui, outre leur expansion rapide, sont chimiquement faciles à modifier, à tel point qu'elles permettent à la criminalité organisée d'échapper à tout contrôle. « De nombreux adolescents, poursuit François, abusent des NPS sans en connaître la dangerosité». Il est donc nécessaire de développer des « techniques d'analyse», de mettre en œuvre des interventions préventives et d'«encourager des plans de traitement appropriés».

 L'obsession de l'efficacité et de la productivité

Le Pape soulève un autre point dans son message : la diffusion des substances dopantes dans les sphères compétitives et sportives, qui «manifeste l'obsession d'atteindre des objectifs importants et d'obtenir des résultats à tout prix». Un phénomène qui doit faire réfléchir, poursuit François, sur la société actuelle « imprégnée d'une culture de l'efficacité et de la productivité, qui n'admet pas les hésitations et les échecs». Vouloir paraître à la hauteur des attentes, se donner une image performante et gagnante, en bannissant la fragilité et la faiblesse, devient, avertit le Successeur de Pierre, «un obstacle insurmontable à la poursuite du développement humain intégral».

 Écouter le cri des plus fragiles

La désorientation des jeunes est une situation alarmante. À la recherche de références, ils se tournent vers la drogue pour endiguer l'angoisse et le manque de sens, pour surmonter leur effort pour «être et exister». Derrière les addictions, nous rappelle François, il existe «des expériences concrètes, des histoires de solitude, d'inégalité, d'exclusion, de manque d'intégration», face auxquelles «nous ne pouvons pas être indifférents», et en suivant l'exemple de proximité que nous offre Jésus, «nous sommes nous aussi appelés à agir, à nous arrêter face à des situations de fragilité et de douleur, à savoir écouter le cri de la solitude et de l'angoisse, à nous pencher pour relever et ramener à la vie ceux qui tombent dans l'esclavage de la drogue». Il faut donc, demande le Pape, encourager les jeunes à « chercher des raisons de vivre », à travers des parcours éducatifs, thérapeutiques et de réhabilitation, et en favorisant des modèles culturels alternatifs.

 Vatican News

MESSAGGIO DEL PAPA

 

PHILIPPINES - RECOLLECTION FOR GRADUATING

  CTGP Facilitates Recollection

Recollection for graduating students & Faculty  for graduating senior high school and for the Faculty members of Allen National High School, Catarman, Samar

 Some 350 graduating senior high school of Allen National High School, Catarman Samar, Philippines had their first Recollection a week before graduation exercises. This was facilitated by Dr. Belén L. Tangco,OP,  National President of the Catholic Teachers’ Guild of the Philippines ( CTGP), Ms. Imelda Emoylan, OP and Bro. Melencio Garcia, OP on June 26, 2023.  The academic staff / Faculty had their recollection in the afternoon with Belén Tangco as resource speaker, sharing best  experiences in teaching.

 Ms. EMOYLAN shared her best experiences in catechetical classes in basic education, and Bro. Melencio served as main Facilitator, being Assistant Promoter of vocations and Pastoral Director of UST Central Seminary.

 More recollections have been scheduled as per request of the Principals of the Junior and Senior High School.

I HAVE THE DREAM

 

It – fr – en – es

 

*I have a dream*

-di Diego Zanotti

 

Il 28 agosto 1963 Martin Luther King tenne il famoso discorso "I have a dream" diventato poi il simbolo della lotta contro il razzismo negli Stati Uniti e comunemente ritenuto un capolavoro.

Per anni molti abbiamo individuato nel "sogno" l'ideale verso il quale orientare la propria azione educativa nei diversi livelli.

Da educatore avverto una fatica presente e diffusa a sognare, e a sognare "in grande"… dove "in grande" si traduce nella capacità di sviluppare desideri di lungo respiro, con la capacità di risolvere (sorridendo e cantando) i molti ostacoli che sicuramente ci saranno lungo il percorso.

Il timore di spingersi oltre un orizzonte temporale "visibile", la non disponibilità ad accollarsi rischi che dipendono da variabili "non governabili" (almeno non da noi), penso sia un approccio tanto presente quanto limitante dell'intera azione educativa. Abbiamo scelto di educare i ragazzi che ci sono affidati a scelte di vita caratterizzate da orizzonti lunghi e imprevisti non definibili a priori; abbiamo assunto come modello antropologico di riferimento un Uomo che ha voluto affrontare innumerevoli ostacoli lungo la via e che ci ha dato testimonianza del come gestire e risolvere le diverse situazioni. Proporre attività ed assumersi impegni restando in modo calcolato in una zona comfort, sentendosi "a posto" per aver assolto oggettivamente al "compitino" assegnato non appartiene al nostro stile, non coincide con quella Promessa pronunciata anni fa che non prevede clausole di tutela.

Essere titolari di proposte educative che abbiano in qualche modo il sapore e lo spessore del sogno significa osare...osare sollecitando i ragazzi, assecondando e ancora più sostenendo le loro idee nei momenti difficili, durante i quali il sogno rischia di venir rinchiuso in un cassetto.

Abbiamo dalla nostra la forza e la libertà di un metodo e di precedenti esperienze e testimonianze capaci di sostenerci e indicarci la via da seguire. Penso sia importante e onesto condividere che l'alternativa a un sogno non è quella di un sogno piccolo bensì quella di non sognare affatto, accettando di stare dove si è, con le proprie sicurezze, ma anche i propri limiti e fragilità.

Il progresso umano è fortemente caratterizzato da pensieri di uomini e donne che hanno saputo sognare un mondo migliore. A ognuno di noi la scelta del come interpretare il proprio ruolo educativo, con la consapevolezza che le nostre scelte "personali" avranno ricadute dirette anche su altri.

Educare al sogno significa da un lato acquisire le competenze sempre necessarie per articolare un pensiero e un'azione educativa capace di raggiungere obiettivi seguendo un percorso pensato e non improvvisato; dall'altro l'allenamento personale a sognare per sé, per la propria vita.

Le mie scelte di vita sono orientate all' "I have a dream?"

 

RS – Servire - 267/ #Taccuinodistrada in un #Tempodaesplorare

 

 J'ai un rêve

-par Diego Zanotti

 

Le 28 août 1963, Martin Luther King prononçait son célèbre discours "I have a dream", devenu le symbole de la lutte contre le racisme aux États-Unis et communément considéré comme un chef-d'œuvre.

Pendant des années, nombreux sont ceux qui ont identifié le "rêve" comme l'idéal vers lequel orienter leur action éducative à différents niveaux.

En tant qu'éducateur, je ressens une fatigue actuelle et généralisée à rêver, et à rêver "grand"... où "grand" se traduit par la capacité à développer des désirs à long terme, avec la capacité à résoudre (en souriant et en chantant) les nombreux obstacles qui ne manqueront pas de se dresser sur le chemin.

La peur d'aller au-delà d'un horizon temporel "visible", la réticence à prendre des risques qui dépendent de variables "ingouvernables" (en tout cas pas par nous), je pense que c'est une approche qui est aussi présente que limitative de l'ensemble de l'action éducative. Nous avons choisi d'éduquer les jeunes qui nous sont confiés à faire des choix de vie caractérisés par des horizons longs et des événements imprévus qui ne peuvent être définis a priori ; nous avons pris comme modèle de référence anthropologique un Homme qui a accepté d'affronter d'innombrables obstacles sur son chemin et qui nous a donné des témoignages sur la façon de gérer et de résoudre différentes situations.

 Proposer des activités et prendre des engagements en restant de manière calculée dans une zone de confort, en se sentant "OK" pour avoir objectivement accompli la "petite tâche" assignée ne fait pas partie de notre style, ne coïncide pas avec cette Promesse prononcée il y a des années et qui ne prévoit pas de clauses de protection.

Être propriétaire de propositions éducatives qui ont en quelque sorte la saveur et la profondeur d'un rêve signifie oser... oser en sollicitant les enfants, en les soutenant et encore plus en soutenant leurs idées dans les moments difficiles, pendant lesquels le rêve risque d'être enfermé dans un tiroir.

Nous avons à nos côtés la force et la liberté d'une méthode et des expériences et témoignages antérieurs qui peuvent nous soutenir et nous montrer la voie à suivre. Je pense qu'il est important et honnête de partager que l'alternative au rêve n'est pas de rêver un petit rêve mais de ne pas rêver du tout, en acceptant de rester là où l'on est, avec sa propre sécurité, mais aussi ses propres limites et sa propre fragilité.

Le progrès humain est fortement marqué par la pensée d'hommes et de femmes qui ont su rêver d'un monde meilleur. Il appartient à chacun d'entre nous de choisir comment interpréter son rôle éducatif, en sachant que ses choix "personnels" auront aussi des répercussions directes sur les autres.

 Eduquer à rêver signifie, d'une part, acquérir les compétences toujours nécessaires pour articuler une pensée et une action éducative capables d'atteindre des objectifs en suivant un parcours réfléchi et non improvisé ; d'autre part, se former personnellement à rêver pour soi, pour sa vie.

Mes choix de vie sont orientés vers "J'ai un rêve ?".

*I have a dream*

 

-by Diego Zanotti

 

On 28 August 1963, Martin Luther King delivered his famous 'I have a dream' speech, which became the symbol of the fight against racism in the United States and is commonly considered a masterpiece.

For years, Agesci has identified the 'dream' as the ideal towards which to direct its educational action at different levels.

As an educator, I sense a present and widespread fatigue in dreaming, and in dreaming 'big'... where 'big' translates into the ability to develop long-range desires, with the ability to resolve (smiling and singing) the many obstacles that will surely be along the way.

The fear of going beyond a 'visible' time horizon, the unwillingness to take risks that depend on 'ungovernable' variables (at least not by us), I think is an approach that is as present as it is limiting of the entire educational action. We have chosen to educate the young people entrusted to us to make life choices characterised by long horizons and unforeseen events that cannot be defined a priori; we have taken as our anthropological reference model a Man who was willing to face countless obstacles along the way and who has given us testimony of how to manage and resolve different situations. Proposing activities and taking on commitments while remaining in a calculated manner in a comfort zone, feeling 'OK' for having objectively fulfilled the 'little task' assigned does not belong to our style, it does not coincide with that Promise pronounced years ago that does not envisage protection clauses.

To be the owner of educational proposals that somehow have the flavour and depth of a dream means daring...daring by soliciting the children, by supporting and even more by supporting their ideas in difficult moments, during which the dream risks being locked away in a drawer.

We have on our side the strength and freedom of a method and previous experiences and testimonies that can support us and show us the way forward. I think it is important and honest to share that the alternative to a dream is not to dream a small dream but not to dream at all, accepting to stay where one is, with one's own security, but also one's own limitations and fragility.

Human progress is strongly characterised by the thoughts of men and women who have been able to dream of a better world. It is up to each of us to choose how to interpret our educational role, in the knowledge that our 'personal' choices will also have direct repercussions on others.

Educating to dream means, on the one hand, acquiring the skills that are always necessary to articulate a thought and an educational action capable of achieving goals by following a thought-out and not improvised path; on the other hand, personal training to dream for oneself, for one's own life.

My life choices are oriented towards "I have a dream?"

 

*Tengo un sueño*

-por Diego Zanotti

 

El 28 de agosto de 1963, Martin Luther King pronunció su famoso discurso "I have a dream" (Tengo un sueño), que se ha convertido en el símbolo de la lucha contra el racismo en Estados Unidos y suele considerarse una obra maestra.

Durante años, Agesci ha identificado el "sueño" como el ideal hacia el que dirigir su acción educativa a diversos niveles.

Como educador, percibo una dificultad actual y generalizada para soñar, y para soñar 'en grande'... donde 'en grande' se traduce en la capacidad de desarrollar deseos de largo alcance, con la capacidad de resolver (sonriendo y cantando) los muchos obstáculos que seguramente habrá en el camino.

El miedo a ir más allá de un horizonte temporal 'visible', el no querer asumir riesgos que dependen de variables 'ingobernables' (al menos no por nosotros), creo que es un planteamiento tan presente como limitante de toda la acción educativa. Hemos optado por educar a los jóvenes que nos han sido confiados para que tomen decisiones vitales caracterizadas por largos horizontes y por imprevistos que no pueden definirse a priori; hemos tomado como modelo antropológico de referencia a un Hombre que estuvo dispuesto a afrontar innumerables obstáculos a lo largo del camino y que nos ha dado testimonio de cómo gestionar y resolver diferentes situaciones. Proponer actividades y asumir compromisos permaneciendo de manera calculada en una zona de confort, sintiéndonos "OK" por haber realizado objetivamente la "pequeña tarea" asignada no pertenece a nuestro estilo, no coincide con aquella Promesa pronunciada hace años que no incluye cláusulas de protección.

Ser dueño de propuestas educativas que de alguna manera tienen el sabor y la profundidad de un sueño significa atreverse... atreverse solicitando a los niños, apoyando y más aún apoyando sus ideas en momentos difíciles, en los que el sueño corre el riesgo de quedar guardado en un cajón.

Tenemos de nuestra parte la fuerza y la libertad de un método y experiencias y testimonios anteriores que pueden apoyarnos y mostrarnos el camino a seguir. Creo que es importante y honesto compartir que la alternativa a soñar no es soñar poco, sino no soñar en absoluto, aceptando quedarse donde uno está, con su seguridad, pero también con sus limitaciones y su fragilidad.

El progreso humano se caracteriza fuertemente por el pensamiento de hombres y mujeres que han sabido soñar con un mundo mejor. Nos corresponde a cada uno de nosotros elegir cómo interpretar nuestro papel educativo, sabiendo que nuestras elecciones "personales" tendrán también repercusiones directas en los demás.

Educar para soñar significa, por un lado, adquirir las competencias siempre necesarias para articular un pensamiento y una acción educativa capaces de alcanzar objetivos siguiendo un camino pensado y no improvisado; por otro, un entrenamiento personal para soñar por uno mismo, por la propia vida.

Mis opciones de vida están orientadas a "¿Tengo un sueño?".

 

 

 

NICARAGUA. CONFISCAN UNIVERSIDAD

Universidad Centroamericana de Nicaragua

Incautan los bienes muebles e inmuebles 

de la Universidad de la Compañía de Jesús en Nicaragua 

con “falsa e infundadas acusaciones” 

de ser un “centro de terrorismo”.

 

La Universidad Centroamericana de Nicaragua es sometida a la incautación de sus bines muebles e inmuebles y trasferidos al Estado de Nicaragua, según confirma las autoridades de la institución, luego de recibir una notificación del Juzgado Décimo Distrito Penal de Audiencia de Managua que acusa a la UCA de “un centro de terrorismo, organizando grupos delincuenciales”.

La UCA fue fundada en 1963 por la Compañía de Jesús como una institución educativa sin fines de lucro, autónoma, de servicio público e inspiración cristiana.

La Universidad Centroamericana forma parte de la AUSJAL (Asociación de Universidades Confiadas a la Compañía de Jesús en Latinoamérica) quienes califican el hecho como un atentado a la autonomía universitaria, libertad académica y a los derechos humanos.

“Hacemos un llamado a las autoridades nicaragüenses para que cese de inmediato la ocupación de la UCA. También para que permita que la comunidad académica recupere su libertad y su capacidad de contribuir al desarrollo intelectual y social del país”, expresa en un comunicado el Observatorio de Democracia de la AUSJAL.

De igual manera, la Provincia Centroamericana de la Compañía de Jesús, niega las “falsas e infundadas” acusaciones contra la UCA: “se trata de una política gubernamental que está violando sistemáticamente los derechos humanos y parece estar orientado a consolidar un Estado Totalitario”, dicen.  

La Compañía de Jesús en su comunicado, también responsabiliza “al Gobierno de Nicaragua de todos los daños en contra del alumnado, del personal docente, administrativo y demás trabajadores de la Universidad y del patrimonio cultural de dicho país que se deriven de semejante acusación injustificada y de la orden de incautación de todos los bienes inmuebles, muebles y del patrimonio económico de la Universidad a favor del Estado de Nicaragua”.

La Universidad Centroamericana suspendió sus actividades académicas y administrativas, hasta que sea posible retomarlas de manera ordinaria. 

 

Vatican News

 

THE VOLUNTEERING: SERVICE AND PRAISE

Pope Francis: Today, Solemnity of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, we contemplate her ascending in body and soul to the glory of Heaven. Today’s Gospel also presents her to us as she ascends, this time “into the hill country” (Lk 1:39). And why does she go up there? To help her cousin Elizabeth, and there she proclaims the joyful canticle of the Magnificat. Mary ascends and the Word of God reveals to us what characterizes us as she does so: service to her neighbour and praise to God. Both of these things: Mary is the woman of service to neighbour, and Mary is the woman who praises God. The evangelist Luke, moreover, narrates the life of Jesus himself as an ascent upwards, towards Jerusalem, the place of his self-giving on the cross; and he also describes Mary’s journey in the same way. Jesus and Mary, in short, travel the same road: two lives that ascend upwards, glorifying God and serving brethren. Jesus as the Redeemer, who gives his life for us, for our justification; Mary as the servant who goes to serve: two lives that conquer death and rise again; two lives whose secrets are service and praise. Let us look more closely at these two aspects: service and praise.

Service. It is when we stoop to serve our brethren that rise: it is love that elevates life. We go to serve our brothers and with this service, we “ascend”. But serving is not easy: Our Lady, who had just conceived, travels almost 150 kilometres from Nazareth to reach Elizabeth’s house. Helping is costly, to all of us! We always experience this in the fatigue, patience and worries that taking care of others entails. Think, for example, of the kilometres that many people travel every day to and from work, and the many tasks they perform for others; think of the sacrifices of time and sleep in caring for a newborn or an elderly person; the effort in serving those who have nothing to offer in return, in the Church and in voluntary work. I admire voluntary work. It is tiring, but it is ascending upwards, it is reaching Heaven! This is true service.

Praise to God

 But service risks being barren without praise to God. Indeed, when Mary enters the home of her cousin, she praises the Lord. She does not talk about her weariness from the journey, but rather a song of jubilation springs from her heart. Because those who love God know praise. And today’s Gospel shows us “a cascade of praise: the child who leaps with joy in Elizabeth’s womb (cf. Lk 1:44); Elizabeth who utters words of blessing and “the first beatitude”: “Blessed is she who believed” (Lk 1:45); and everything culminates in Mary, who proclaims the Magnificat (cf. Lk 1:46-55). Praise increases joy. Praise is like a ladder: it leads hearts upwards. Praise raises souls and defeats the temptation to give up. Have you seen how boring people, those who live off gossip, are incapable of giving praise? Ask yourselves: am I capable of giving praise? How good it is to praise God every day, and others too! How good it is to live in gratitude and blessing instead of regrets and complaints, to raise our gaze upwards instead of wearing a long face! Complaints: there are people who lament every day. But see that God is near you, see that he has created you, see the things he has given you. Praise, praise! And this is spiritual health.

Service and praise. Let us try to ask ourselves: do I live my work and daily occupations with a spirit of service, or with selfishness? Do I devote myself to someone feely, without seeking immediate advantages? In short, do I make service the “springboard” of my life? And thinking about praise: do I, like Mary, exult in God (cf. Lk 1:47)? Do I pray, blessing the Lord? And, after praising him, do I spread his joy among the people I meet? Each one of you, try to answer these questions.

May our Mother, assumed into Heaven, help us to climb higher each day through service and praise.

www.vatican.va

 

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LAITYFAMILYLIFE A trimestral bulletin from the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life Share Tweet Forward Share

Special Issue 2023 - World Youth Day "With this World Youth Day, God gave a “push” in the other direction. It marked a new beginning of the great pilgrimage of young people across the continents, in the name of Jesus Christ. And it was not a coincidence that this happened in Lisbon, a city overlooking the ocean, a city that is a symbol of the great explorations by sea. And so, at World Youth Day, the Gospel proposed to young people the model of the Virgin Mary. [...] In this way, Mary guides the pilgrimage of young people in following Jesus today, in the third millennium." (Pope Francis, General Audience, Wednesday, 9 August 2023) On the website of the Dicastery for the Laity, Family and Life are available news, official texts and photos of the XXXVII World Youth Day (August 1-6, Lisbon), which saw the participation of 1.5 million young pilgrims from all over the world to go to the encounter with the Living Christ, together with Pope Francis.  Visit our website and social accounts to read and share what we experienced together, to continue the pilgrimage to follow Jesus! NEWS The next WYD in 2027 in Seoul: announced at the closing Mass of the WYD   Pope Francis' missionary mandate and the two next appointments with young people TEXTS AND MULTIMEDIA “Rise up” - the WYD catechesis: social friendship and mercy are the themes of the second and third days   Experiences of synodality and reconciliation with God. READ ALL “Rise up”- the WYD catechesis: the first day is about dialogue on integral ecology   Card. Lacroix: “Transforming the heart is called to be integral and touches every aspect of our lives”. READ ALL A Manifesto of the youth participating in the 4th International Congress on the Care for Creation – WYD 2023   Presented to Pope Francis with appeals and commitments for a new humanity. THE MANIFESTO  THE CONGRESS

The WYD Vigil: being roots of joy for others and getting back up after every fall The City of Joy: an experience of harmony, sharing and forgiveness The WYD Stations of the Cross: Taking the risk of loving and walking with Jesus Opening Mass of WYD: The new world begins with an encounter WYD Welcome ceremony: God loves us as we are. Everyone St. Peter's Basilica in prayer for the youth of WYD