New Members of ICUSTA and of The Honor Council
Three institutions and two advisers have been recently incorporated to our institution. This is a sign of ICUSTA’s liveliness and the great current relevance of its mission.
The three universities that have joined to our network are: Universidad del Norte Santo Tomás de Aquino (UNSTA), Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (UFV) and Universidad de la Fraternidad de Agrupaciones Santo Tomás de Aquino (UFASTA). At present ICUSTA counts on a total of 29 members. Actually, these three institutions are old friends of ICUSTA. In fact, the Rectors of UNSTA and UFASTA were two of the six signatories of the agreement intended to create the “Saint Thomas Council of Universities” on August 29, 1993. UFV, in turn, has participated in ICUSTA as an observer since 2012. Besides, representatives of these three universities attended in June this year to the last Biennial Conference in Avila.
UNSTA and UFASTA are located in Argentina; the former, in San Miguel de Tucumán and the latter, in Mar del Plata. UFV, instead, is located in metropolitan Madrid, Spain.
The Rector of UFV, Dr. Daniel Sada, with great satisfaction for the incorporation of their Institution as an official member of the network, stated: “We have confidence that this collaboration will produce great results in the future for all the institutions that participate in ICUSTA”. Along the same lines, the Rector of UFASTA, Dr. Juan Carlo Mena, remarked that: “With great joy and gratitude I receive the news of acceptance by the Executive Committee, regarding to our formal reinstatement request as active members of ICUSTA”.
In addition, the Council of Honor of ICUSTA has received two new distinguished members. This Council is one of our three regular commissions; it was created at the beginning of this year with ten members, and it is composed of a select group of no more than fifteen people who have supported the institution, its projects and its spirit. In this period, they have already given important suggestions for the compliance of the mission of ICUSTA and the celebration of the 25th Anniversary, and they have participated in the 13th Biennial in Avila.
The two new official members of the Council of Honor of ICUSTA are Monsignor Jean-Louis Bruguès and Doctor Eudaldo Forment. Archbishop Bruguès is the current Archivist and Librarian of the Holy Roman Church and former Secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, in the Vatican. It was a great pleasure for us to share his company at the 13th ICUSTA Biennial and to enjoy his excellent Opening Lecture. He has widely supported the Thomistic spirit of ICUSTA in his role as Prior and Provincial of the Dominican Order in Toulouse, Professor of Fundamental Moral Theology at the Catholic Institute of Toulouse and the University of Freiburg, and member of the International Theological Commission and consultant of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith.
On the other hand, Professor Forment is one of the most famous experts in Thomism, author of several relevant books in the area, renowned member of the Thomist School of Barcelona, Senior Professor of Metaphysics at the University of Barcelona and member of the Pontifical Academy of Saint Thomas. He was also the General Director of the Società Internazionale Tommaso d’Aquino (SITA), member institution of ICUSTA, and supported the founding of our organization since its origin.
In response to his nomination Msgr. Bruguès expressed: “I am grateful and look forward to continuing our relationship and cooperation well into future”. For his part, Eudaldo Forment said: “I am very excited to collaborate in this project, which I share completely”.
It is really a great honor for ICUSTA to be supported by these two distinguished dignitaries as advisors for the enduring mission of our network.