Catholic schools should be ‘truly Catholic’ and open to all, says Pope

December 07, 2015

In a December 5 audience with members of the Associazione Genitori Scuole Cattoliche (Association of Catholic School Parents), Pope Francis called for the restoration of the “educational pact” between “school and territory, between school and family, between school and civil institutions.”

“As parents, you are custodians with the duty and primary and indispensable right to educate children,” he said, as he called upon parents to help ensure that Catholic schools are “truly Catholic,” transmitting an “integral, not ideological culture.”

The Pope emphasized that Catholics schools should be “inclusive,” not elitist, and thus “open to all.” At the same time, he said Catholic schools should focus more on quality than on numbers of students.

Pope Francis also asked Catholic parents to help work to ensure that “Catholic education has the face of the new humanism that emerged from the ecclesial Convention of Florence”—a reference to his November 10 address to the Italian bishops.

 

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Further information:

• Udienza all’Associazione Genitori Scuole Cattoliche (AGESC), 05.12.2015 (Holy See Press Office)
• Pope Francis to Catholic parents: build bridges (Vatican Radio)
• Associazione Genitori Scuole Cattoliche (AGESC)
• In major address to Italian Catholic convention, Pope explains his vision of 'Christian humanism' (CWN, 11/10)