Pope Francis relaunches the Global Compact on Education
Pope Francis recently relaunched the Global Compact on Education, appealing to every sector of society around the world to subscribe to, and provide, support.
The Pope made the appeal in a video message during a virtual event at Rome’s Pontifical Lateran University.
The initiative promotes the values of care for others, peace, justice, goodness, beauty, acceptance and fraternity in order to build hope, solidarity and harmony everywhere.
In his message, Pope Francis drew attention to the challenges and adverse effects of the COVID-19 crisis on educational systems worldwide.
He noted that online educational platforms have brought to light a marked disparity in educational and technological opportunities, forcing some 10 million children to leave school, apart from the already over 250 million school-age children excluded from all educational activities.
In a video message the Pope said that education is above all a matter of love and responsibility handed from one generation to the next.
"Education is meant to be transformative," he said in a statement to Vatican News.
"To educate is always an act of hope, it should open up new horizons in which hospitality, intergenerational solidarity and the value of transcendence give birth to a new culture.
"The education process should help respond to today’s challenges and problems and find solutions to the needs of every generation.
"This will help contribute to the flourishing of humanity now and in the future," Pope Francis said.
He said the Global Compact on Education is "to ensure that everyone has access to a quality education consonant with the dignity of the human person and our common vocation to fraternity".