杏MAP导航

By Lisa Zengarini

杏MAP导航 Francis on Saturday met the members of the World Union of Catholic Teachers in the Vatican (WUCT) on the occasion o its General Assembly in Rome, which is to elect its new Executive Committee.

The WUCT was established in 1951 as a network bringing together Catholic teachers鈥� associations across the globe with the aim of coordinating their study and research work designed to bring the teachings of the Church into the world of education and the school.

Its priorities are to create an educational system which involves parents, teachers and students, in order to give everyone proper responsibility within the educational community.

鈥淐o-workers of the 杏MAP导航鈥� 

In his address 杏MAP导航 Francis thanked the members of the outgoing Executive Committee for their "faithful and generous service" over these past years, and encouraged the organization to 鈥渢ake a positive view鈥� of the many challenges it is facing today, including that of 鈥済enerational change鈥�, which particularly affects leadership.

He recalled that the Union鈥檚 mission as 鈥渃o-workers of the 杏MAP导航鈥� is to encourage and motivate Catholic teachers to be fully aware of their important mission as educators and witnesses of the faith, as individuals or within groups of colleagues.

鈥淚n this way 鈥� he noted - you make present in the academic world the Church鈥檚 service of supporting Catholic teachers in the faith, so that they can carry out their work and bear witness in the best way possible, in situations that are often complex on the relational and institutional levels鈥�.

Catholic teachers to be both "fully human and fully Christian"

Remarking that the presence of Christian educators in school communities is 鈥渧itally important鈥�, the Holy Father reminded those present that Christian teachers are called to be"both fully human and fully Christian鈥�. They therefore 鈥渕ust not be spiritualistic and 鈥榦ther-worldly鈥欌��, but rather 鈥渞ooted in their own time and culture鈥� and 鈥渃apable of understanding the deepest needs, questions, fears and dreams of students鈥�.

It  is important, he added, that Catholic teachers be capable of testifying that the Christian faith embraces all of human experience, 鈥渨ithout clipping the wings of young people鈥檚 dreams and impoverishing their aspirations鈥�. 

Indeed, he noted, 鈥渋n the tradition of the Church, the education of the young has always had as its goal the integral formation of each human person, in all his or her dimensions鈥�.

A great responsibility 

杏MAP导航 Francis further insisted on the 鈥済reat responsibility鈥� of teachers, who are in a position 鈥渢o leave a mark, for better or for worse鈥� on the lives of the children, adolescents and young people entrusted to them.  

Rigidity destroys education

This also requires tfrom educators the capacity  to continually reassess their own motivations and their methods, adapting to changing times and generations.  鈥淭hey cannot be rigid鈥�, because 鈥渞igidity destroys education鈥�, he emphasized.

Ideological colonization in educasion causes disasters

The WUTC鈥檚 task, the 杏MAP导航 continued, is therefore 鈥渢o help teachers maintain their desire to grow together with their students, to find the most effective ways of transmitting the joy of learning and the desire for truth, by employing language and cultural forms suited to the young people of today鈥�.

At the same time 杏MAP导航 Francis highlighted the need to help Catholic teachers to carefully "discern novelties  that make us gro" from the ideologization" of education, warning against ideological colonization

Promoting awareness  on Global Compact on Education

Bringing his address to an end, 杏MAP导航 Francis invited the WUTC to help raise awareness among Catholic teachers of his Global Compact on Education . The project was launched in 2019 to involve multiple actors and international stakeholders to rebuild the fragile educational alliance by introducing new generations to the values of respect, dialogue and solidarity through the investment of the best available resources in quality education.

Concluding the the 杏MAP导航 encouraged the WUTC to look to the future with hope and to give new impetus to the organization's mission.

An international association of the faithful since 2008

Previously recognised by the Holy See, the Pontifical Council for the Laity decreed recognition of the World Union of Catholic Teachers as an international association of the faithful in 2008. As an NGO, it has consultative status with several international organization's including UNICEF.