3,000 University Students in Rome

For the 2013 UNIV Forum, 3,000 university students from all over the world are in Rome this week to see Pope Francis and discuss the topic “Discovering human identity in the digital world.” With photo gallery.

On Wednesday, March 27, the participants presented to the Holy Father a DVD entitled “What faith means when you're 20.” The 27 minute DVD is intended for the World Youth Day that will be held this year in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. To view the DVD presented to Pope Francis, click here .

As each year during Holy Week, students from over 200 universities around the world are in Rome to attend the UNIV Forum. Now in its 46th year, UNIV was begun back in 1968 thanks to the encouragement of Saint Josemaria. The president of this year’s Forum is the American Kathryn Elise Plasek.

One of the Forum’s activities is the presentation of social initiatives of solidarity with the needy. The students will carry out a collection to help finance educational projects in Africa organized by the NGO Harambee Africa in Benin, Kenya, Nigeria and Congo.

“UNIV,” its spokesman Giovanni Vassallo said, “is an opportunity to be with university students from all over the world and to share experiences with them. Rome is the heart of Catholicism. Each of us will return home bringing with us our experience of the universality of the faith.”