杏MAP导航 receives Scholas Occurrentes on its launch in Japan
By Robin Gomes
杏MAP导航 Francis on Monday met a delegation of the Scholas Occurentes Foundation as it launched its office in Japan, the first of its kind in Asia.
The Scholas Occurrentes, the Latin for 鈥渟chools that meet鈥�, is today an educational project of pontifical right launched by 杏MAP导航 Francis in Argentina 2001, when he was Archbishop of Buenos Aires. Its aim is to encourage social integration 鈥巃nd the culture of encounter through sports, arts and technology. The 杏MAP导航 made it into a foundation in 2013.
杏MAP导航 Francis, who is on an Apostolic Journey to Thailand and Japan, November 19-26, received 5 representatives of the group at the Apostolic Nunciature in Tokyo, in the morning. While narrating their experiences and concerns to the 杏MAP导航, they also made their proposals for change as future leaders.
The meeting with the 杏MAP导航 took place after the first educational experience of the Foundation, in which young people between 15 and 18 years of age from various religious communities in Tokyo, Osaka, Chiba, Saitama and Gunma participated.
Just and peaceful world
Speaking on behalf of the group, Seiji Tanaka, 18, told the 杏MAP导航 they realized that the purpose of their education was to 鈥渃reate a more just and peaceful world鈥�. Tanaka said that during the Scholas educational experience programme, they discovered that there were 鈥渢hings that cannot be expressed with numbers or logic, and that are in people's hearts鈥�.
Creative in mind, heart and hands
The Holy Father expressed his satisfaction with their testimony, saying they don鈥檛 repeat things done by others but prefer to learn with their head and be creative and. 鈥淵ou create things,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said, 鈥渂ecause true wisdom is not only to fill the head with ideas but to express oneself with the three languages: the language of the mind, what I think; the language of the heart, what I feel; and the language of the hands, what I do.鈥�
He thanked the group for their testimony and courage, saying 鈥渋t鈥檚 much more comfortable to stay locked in your ideas, but going out, feeling and doing, is a risk, and you run that risk, and it is very beautiful鈥�.
The Scholas Occurrentes will have its first official headquarters in the city of Sendái. This brings the number of national offices worldwide to 13: Argentina, Vatican City, Colombia, Spain, Haiti, Italy, Mexico, Mozambique, Panama, Paraguay, Portugal and Romania.
The Scholas Occurrentes today is active in 190 countries and its network integrates 500.000 schools and educational networks.
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