|
[EN
-
FR
-
IT]
MESSAGE OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
SIGNED BY THE CARDINAL SECRETARY OF STATE,
ON THE OCCASION OF THE FIRST AFRICAN CONGRESS
OF CATHOLIC EDUCATION
[Abidjan, 7-10 December 2023]
________________________________
To His Excellency Bishop Philippe Rukamba and Dom Bernard Lorent
Co-Presidents of the Fondation Internationale Religions et Sociétés
KIGALI
His Holiness Pope Francis joins with you in heart and mind as you gather for
the first African Catholic Education Congress to receive the African Education
Pact. The Pope is pleased to know that this Educational Pact, which you
presented to him on 1 June at the Vatican, was not the end of work undertaken
for many years by the Fondation Internationale Religions et Sociétés, but
that it marked a new stage in your commitment to promoting education in Africa.
His Holiness therefore welcomes the African Education Pact and hopes that it
will increasingly become “a local reality, the result of reflections carried out
on your own context and cultural resources, and that it should be attentive to
the educational needs of the territory” (Address
by Pope Francis to the Delegation of Promoters of the African Education Pact,
1 June 2023).
Africa is not immune to the crisis that the education system is going through
today, which, as in many places, has become too selective and elitist (cf. Address
to the Participants at the World Congress on Education, 21 November 2015),
aiming to form the intellect alone and not the whole person. Faced with this
situation, Catholic Education, by enriching itself with the African Educational
Pact, will be able to offer a renewed, more open and inclusive formation,
creating in young people a beautiful harmony between thought and action. It will
also be able to help shape a generation that draws on the socio-cultural values
of the African continent, without giving in to the temptation of
self-absorption, but also being capable of dialogue with other cultures and
religions.
This objective can only be achieved to the extent that Catholic Education,
while instilling in young people their African identity, does not lose sight of
its primary goal, which is to offer everyone “the Christian message… namely,
that Jesus Christ is the meaning to life, to the cosmos and of history" (Address
to the Participants at the Plenary Assembly of the Congregation for Catholic
Education, 13 February 2014). It is therefore important that everyone
involved in Catholic education can be animated by the desire to communicate the
Gospel through their lives, demonstrating consistency and adopting a pedagogical
style that promotes the human and spiritual growth of students.
The Holy Father invites everyone involved to work so that Catholic education
can prepare young people not for a spirit of competition, which leads to
selfishness, but for a spirit of community and solidarity. That they may be
capable of making positive and constructive choices, of being tomorrow's
decision-makers, committed to building a society that is ever more fraternal and
at the service of all, with respect for the common good. Indeed, quality
education is a sign of hope and a solid foundation for the peaceful coexistence
that Africa needs today.
The Pope encourages you in your desire to give new impetus to Catholic
education in Africa and he thanks you for the work you carry out every day with
dedication. He invokes upon you the graces of the Holy Spirit so that He may
give you strength in your delicate mission in favour of the formation of young
people in Africa. His Holiness wholeheartedly bestows his Apostolic Blessing on
you.
Cardinal Pietro Parolin
Secretary of State of His Holiness
_________________________________________
Holy See Press Office Bulletin, 7 December 2023
|
