Catholic schools must present Christ-centered vision to the world, Pope says
February 13, 2014
Catholic colleges and universities should show a “courageous and innovative fidelity that enables Catholic identity to encounter the various 'souls' of multicultural society,” Pope Francis said in a February 13 address to the plenary meeting of the Congregation for Catholic Education.
Noting that many students at Catholic institutions are not Christian, the Pope said that the schools should offer, “with full respect for the freedom of each person and using the methods appropriate to the scholastic environment, the Christian belief, that is, to present Jesus Christ as the meaning of life, the cosmos and history.”
Jesus began his public ministry in Galilee, in a diverse population, the Pope reminded his audience. “This context resembles today's world, in certain respects,” he said. Catholic schools should avoid “isolating themselves in the world,” he said, and at the same time be sure to “express the living presence of the Gospel in the field of education, science, and culture.”
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Posted by: Defender -
Feb. 14, 2014 1:57 AM ET USA
The problem is that there is too much of the secular world already in Catholic classrooms, not the other way. ALL Catholic schools should be open for ALL Catholic children FIRST. This was envisioned first for U.S. Catholic schools. We have to stop producing "graduates" who know nothing of the Faith and go on to become politicians (e.g., Pelosi) or those who have forgotten or who weren't properly instructed (e.g., M. Gates). We need bishops to get serious about their teaching responsibilities.
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Posted by: Lucius49 -
Feb. 13, 2014 8:59 PM ET USA
Innovative fidelity? What. does that mean? Plus this begs the question of how many of these schools are Catholic in the first place in accord with ex corde ecclesiae? I think the "usual suspects" have employed the phrase "creative fidelity" in response to questions of Catholic identity and should the emphasis be on non-Catholics who may be at the school?
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Posted by: shrink -
Feb. 13, 2014 5:53 PM ET USA
How many 'catholic' schools are "isolating themselves in the world" ? This is delusional.
