What is a Master Class after all?

A Lecture Hall is a major lecture, an important lecture, something worth learning. It is because of this expected content that auditoriums with this designation can be found in the same building as the Rectory of Public Universities. A public university is, by definition, an institution of public interest — not only because it is partly financed by the State Budget, but because it serves greater purposes: the construction of knowledge, the promotion of science, the critical education of citizens. The Lecture Hall, as a noble and symbolic space of the university, cannot be treated as a mere auditorium available for any circumstantial event. Its use must comply with criteria of institutional responsibility, always bearing in mind the public interest and the dignity of the university mission. This is not about imposing censorship, but about recognizing that there are spaces whose use communicates values, commitments and priorities — and that, therefore, they must be managed with consideration and ethical sense.

Imagine now, dear reader, that in the Aula Magna of our Public Universities we now have the following agenda:

A public exorcism ceremony is taking place in the Aula Magna of the University of Lisbon. This is no experimental theatre: the greatest European exorcist, with crucifix in hand and a guttural voice, invokes the archangels to expel demons that have possessed directors of faculties and research centres — who, curiously, are speaking in Latin.

In Coimbra, the ancient university is hosting an International Meeting of Iberian Shamanism in its Sala dos Capelos. Amidst the mists of incense and the beating of trance-like drums, several shamans with eagle feathers give voice to forest spirits, while one of them — from Alto Minho — swears he was a crow in a previous cycle of reincarnation. Any participant is also invited to publicly assume the animal they were in previous lives.

At the University of Porto, the Salão Nobre of the Rectory is transformed into a mediumistic stage, where internationally renowned mediums conduct a collective session of contact with the afterlife. Any member of the audience can stand up and talk to ancestors and historical figures such as D. Sebastião, who, according to reports, will return in ectoplasmic form.

And in Vila Real, at UTAD, with the solemnity appropriate to its Rectory, the Divine Truth sect is being welcomed, an international mystical movement that brings with it, no less than, the official reincarnation of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. With an aura of illumination and a wireless microphone, the new Messiah shares “channeled” messages from the Kingdom of Heaven — if the divine connection does not fail.

Of all these interesting agendas, which one do you think is the real one? They all seem fake, right? But no! In the case of UTAD, it is indeed real and it took place on the weekend of June 20, 21 and 22. If you didn't have the opportunity to go, you missed out on the great opportunity to see the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene live. In Portugal! In Vila Real! In a Public University. In the only Public University in Portugal that wanted to bring us the 'Divine Truth'. The Rectorate of UTAD once again shows its ability to be exemplary and innovative and to carry out the public interest by introducing its students, teachers and the entire community of Vila Real and Trás-os-Montes (and even the entire country!) to a very important Australian sect with Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene appearing for the first time in the flesh in Portugal. And in a Grand Lecture!

Is this possible? What is an Aula Magna? “Aula Magna” means an inaugural lecture of an academic year at the University. Etymologically, it seems that this concept dates back to medieval universities such as Bologna, Paris, Oxford and Salamanca. The Aula Magna of the Universities, associated with the Rectory, are aligned with the missions of the Universities and their public service, in principle reinforcing the prestige of knowledge and intellectual life.

The University is a centre of public service and must be guided by the public interest. The public university is not just a place for teaching: it is a pillar of democracy, science, culture and citizenship. It must be an example of rationality, critical thinking and civic elevation. The New Public Management that makes everything saleable, which has made it possible, largely since the 1980s, to rent university spaces… must have limits. Or not!? If a space of utmost prestige, such as a University’s Aula Magna, directly associated with the rectory, is rented to a religious sect, what does that mean for that same rectory? And for the University? What is most for sale?

When a space such as the Aula Magna, associated with the Rectory, is rented to a religious sect in a secular state such as Portugal, which must remain neutral in relation to all religious cults, what exactly does this mean? Divine Truth is a movement led by Alan John Miller, who claims to be the reincarnation of Jesus Christ. It has a spiritual and self-help component and is often classified as a sect by religious scholars. It is controversial, not recognized as a religion in Portugal and has no institutionalized presence. Accepting an event by this group in the Aula Magna of UTAD could be a) perceived as legitimizing a marginal belief, b) is certainly contradictory to the role of the university as a space for critical and scientific thought and c) is potentially damaging to the public image of the institution, even if not illegal. But the Rectory opened its doors to this Truth, despite the fact that there were professors who contested such a purpose. And who scrutinizes the Rectors and their behavior?!

All this is the responsibility of a rector who did not run for re-election after a scandal in which he publicly admitted that he was monitoring his professors. A rector who ended his term on May 14 in a discreditable manner. A rector who remains in office even without a General Council, thus clearly showing that the General Councils of the Universities are useless! It is this same rector who legitimizes the occupation of the University's Aula Magna with the Divine Truth and the reincarnation of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene.

The Citizen Audit Forum for Higher Education (FACES) presents itself as a collective open to all Higher Education teachers and other citizens who wish to publicly present facts about the deplorable situation at various levels in which Higher Education finds itself in Portugal, demonstrating their public indignation and fighting for a citizen audit and urgent transformation.

The FACES Promoters ([email protected]): Paulo Castro Seixas (University of Lisbon) and Levi Leonido (University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro)