The unveiling of a plaque and photograph of Professor José da Silva Lima at the Faculty of Philosophy and Social Sciences immortalised the tribute to the leader of the Installation Committee of the Braga Regional Centre of the Portuguese Catholic University (UCP).

Professor José da Costa Lima, visibly moved, thanked the academy for the gesture, which was joined by the Archdiocese of Braga, recalling that he was not alone in carrying out the task of installing the UCP's Braga Regional Centre 25 years ago.

‘There were many people who worked with me in the construction of these buildings. This tribute is also for them,’ he told Diário do Minho.

Professor José da Silva Lima said that it is necessary to continue this legacy at a time when many challenges are being posed to higher education institutions, particularly the UCP.

‘I think the University has to be open to everything that is happening. It is very important to be open to the signs of the times, as the Pope tells us. Sixty years after the Second Vatican Council, it is necessary for the institutions of this Regional Centre and all other Centres to know how to look at the signs and seek to respond to them,’ he said.

The honouree considered it a privilege for this region to have a Catholic university that is capable of offering its students a comprehensive and humanistic education.

‘At a time when many values are under threat, when there is a tendency towards individualism, it is important to have an education with solutions adapted to reality that promote Christian values for the good of humanity,’ he argued.