The Pontifical University of Salamanca (UPSA) awarded this Tuesday its Gold Medal to the former leader of the Basque PP María San Gil Noain (San Sebastián, 1965). With this distinction, the academic institution recognizes her professional and personal trajectory, as well as her commitment to democratic coexistence, freedom, and the memory of the victims of terrorism.
The honoree, who studied at this center for a degree in Trilingual Biblical Philology, confessed before the official act her surprise upon learning of the award and expressed her gratitude to the university, of which she has a very intense and affectionate memory after five years of her time as a student.
Furthermore, San Gil emphasized that education in the classical world and in the humanities helps prepare people to face the different circumstances of life. In this regard, she pointed out that her stay in Salamanca was the starting point for her defense of freedom, to "give voice to the victims of terrorism" and to learn to face particularly difficult situations.
The awardee also highlighted the relevance of receiving this Gold Medal in the context of the 5th centenary of the birth of the School of Salamanca, emphasizing the influence of Christian humanism on her own education. In this framework, she recalled her participation in the Catholic Association of Propagandists and argued that "faith and reason" must maintain an active presence in public life and politics.
During her speech prior to the event, San Gil reviewed the different stages of the fight against terrorism, which she described as "very dark moments." However, she valued the massive social reaction after the murder of Miguel Ángel Blanco, a mobilization in favor of life and freedom in which, as she explained, the difference between victims and executioners was clearly perceived, beyond the initials of each party.
Regarding the current situation, the former politician warned that many victims of terrorism feel today "abandonment and forgetfulness," and lamented that more media and political attention is given to the release from prison of certain terrorists than to listening to and addressing the demands of those who have suffered violence.
For this reason, she concluded that an authentic democracy must prioritize the care and protection of its victims.
The solemn act of the imposition of the Gold Medal brought together various personalities, among them the president of the NEOS Foundation and former Minister of the Interior, Jaime Mayor Oreja, and the former president of the Spanish Episcopal Conference, Rouco Varela. The laudatio was pronounced by the godmother of the event, the emeritus professor of the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, Rosa María Herrera, who evoked the enthusiasm of San Gil and his university stage in Salamanca.