Madrid, Spain.
As she passed through Madrid, Julia María González Ferreras, present general Secretary of the Teresian Association and in charge of the area of International Projects shares her impressions due to the appointment as Consultant of the Congregation for the Catholic Education for the following five years.
An encounter with Julia María González is always good. Simplicity is, perhaps one of her more natural characteristics. It is easy to be surprised to discover that this woman with austere appearance, grey hair and lucid eyes , does not get tired traveling through different continents creating, supporting and developing educational projects, joining forces among universities and diverse social sectors with significant social impact.
She was Vice-rector of International Relations of the University of Deusto, Bilbao, Spain and coordinated several international networks and projects in education and research: the Thematic Network in Humanitarian Development Studies, The European Doctorates in Migration, Identities and Diversity as well as in Peace and Conflict Studies.
She was one of the initiators and until 2012, Secretary General of the NOHA (Network of Humanitarian Action) Association; responsible, among others of the Erasmus Mundus Master Programme in International Humanitarian Action. Together with R. Wagenaar, she designed and coordinated the European Project Tuning Higher Education, a key project for the development of Higher Education at world level which started as a response of the European universities to the Bologna Process. It was then asked by other regions such as Latin America, Central Asia and Africa as well as countries such as USA, Australia, Canada, Russia, China and Japan to be developed within their frontiers. The project has just been approved for the South East Region. It is at present being carried out in over a hundred university networks and involves hundreds of universities, and translated into 15 languages. (www.tuningacademy.org)
- During the last years you are collaborating in the Congregation for the Catholic Education in themes related with Higher Education, what has this appointment as Consultant meant to you?
JMG- Certainly, for the last four years, I collaborate with the Vatican in the Sector of Higher Education, in the Department of Relations with the International Organizations: Council of Europe, European Union and International Organizations from the different world Regions, but I have felt the appointment as a confirmation and a new challenge in a very interesting reality of the Church. Although my collaboration was initiated years ago, it intensified with my presence in Rome and I think that this appointment also refers to the Teresian Association and our charism.
- From your broad experience in International Educational Organism, how is the presence of the Church perceived?
JMG-Fifteen years ago, the Department for International Relations in Higher Education was created in the Congregation. For many years back I have lived very closely the role of organizations such as FIUC or FUCE (Federations of Catholic Universities- at International level the former and at European level the latter). These were very interesting efforts in looking for a place, an identity in Higher Education but I felt they were a bit “from the outside”, a bit on the defense, perhaps without wanting to be so.
In 2003 I had the opportunity to participate to the first meeting when the Holy See joined the Bologna European Group. The Delegations of the different countries welcomed its presence with certain expectation. This marked the beginning of a work in Higher Education “from within”. From that event, that took place in Latvia, I have had the joy of witnessing the growth of a presence of the Church, a Church of dialogue, every time more respected by the International Organizations and by the Ministries of Education of the different countries . This presence is full of simplicity, as one country more, without grand declarations, working with everyone in searching for solutions, for transparency, impartiality and the common good. It is more a presence of as leaven than of a great blinding light. I have witnessed how this type of presence, of incarnation and simplicity, that knows how to take in a sportive and defenseless manner some past errors and looks always into the future, draws more and more sympathy, valorization and inspires trust and confidence. As a consequence, the tasks entrusted grow and the participation is sought and it is a joy to see how it is respected more and more.
- Can you mention something of what this task of Consultant entails?
JMG- It is a collaboration in thinking and planning, although occasionally could entail other things. I have had the responsibility of representing the Holy See in one of the official meetings in Kazakhtan, The first time this unit was represented at that level by a woman. Equally, there was an important presence and activity during the co-presidency of Italy and the Holy See in the European Higher Education Semester in 2015.
- Which do you think are the present challenges in Education seen from the Holy See?
JMG- They are many. I will mention only four: the first is to be able to have the appropriate presence, a presence which is understandable and able to welcome the concrete realities as they come. The second is to discover the ways whereby the different Educational Organizations can reach the places in the world where there is need to develop and guarantee education for all their boys and girls, for all their youth. The Church has been a pioneer in this field. A further challenge, and particularly urgent at our present moment, is to win over all kinds of radicalism and particularly those called religious radicalisms by the force of education.
The forth challenge is to continue weaving networks in the world of education and research to offer roads to find meaning, roads to welcome the mystery of God and respect for the dignity of the human being, roads of mercy and tenderness for our world as constantly we are remained by Pope Francis.
- As a member of the Teresian Association how do you live this new appointment?
JMG- I am particularly thankful that this appointment is in a field such as that of education where as Teresian Association we have such a rich legacy and are open to so many challenges.
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