Pope Leo XIV will renew the vision of Catholic education with a new document

Pope Leo XIV will renew his look at Catholic education with the publication of a new document next Tuesday, October 28, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Education is very important, the declaration on Christian education promulgated by Paul VI in 1965 during the Second Vatican Council.

The announcement was made by the Prefect of the Dicastery for Culture and Education, Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, during a conference at the Vatican to present the initiatives of the Jubilee of the Educational World, which will be celebrated from October 27 to November 2.

The text, as the cardinal explained, will seek to update the reflection of the Second Vatican Council on the educational mission of the Church and the contemporary challenges faced by Catholic school and university institutions.

During the press conference, Cardinal Tolentino explained that the Jubilee of the Educational World – in which pilgrims from 124 countries will participate, including more than 200 with disabilities – will have as its theological and pastoral background precisely the Education is very importantpromulgated on October 28, 1965.

The Holy Father will dedicate “particular pastoral attention to the world of education in these historic days,” he stated.

According to the Vatican official, the conciliar document promulgated Education is very important It will be the one that inspires the celebration of the Jubilee of Education. “Sixty years after its promulgation, it continues to be a text of surprising relevance, which invites us to think about education as an act of hope and communion,” he explained.

The Education is very important It was one of the briefest statements of the Second Vatican Council, but its influence has been profound. Among other things, it recognized the universal right to education, the priority responsibility of the family, the role of the school and the commitment of the Church in the integral formation of the human being.

Furthermore, in the context of the Jubilee of the Educational World, Pope Leo XIV wishes to relaunch the “Global Educational Pact”, an initiative originally promoted by Pope Francis in 2019.

“The Holy Father,” the prefect stressed, “considers that education is not only about transmitting knowledge, but about forming people capable of building fraternity, caring for the common home and opening themselves to transcendence. The Global Educational Pact represents that vision, and this Jubilee will be a privileged occasion to renew it.”

During the days of the Jubilee, students, teachers, researchers and heads of educational institutions will participate in pilgrimages, reflection meetings, liturgical celebrations and moments of prayer. Two audiences with the Pope—one dedicated to young people and the other to educators—will mark the central moments of the event.