At 16.00 yesterday, the Holy Father Francis visited the seat of Scholas Occurrentes in Palazzo San Calisto, Rome, to initiate the international project “Programming for Peace”, together with information technology experts.

The aim of the initiative is to enable millions of young people to learn programming and the use of the new technologies with an ethical outlook, and commitment to the search for peace.

During the meeting Pope Francis will inaugurate in a video conference the “Hub Tecnológico Scholas” in the new Panama seat.

In addition, the Holy Father will engage in dialogue in the video conference with the young people of the three new seats of Scholas in Panama, Portugal and Romania, and will meet some students who have participated in sports, artistic and technological programmes.

The Scholas Occurrentes Foundation, an international organization created by Pope Francis on 13 August 2013, is present in 190 countries and is currently the largest student movement at global level. The Foundation has as its fundamental objective the promotion of the culture of peace and encounter, and includes schools and educational networks belonging to all religious confessions and lay situations, both public and private.