Pope Francis to School children: ‘let's not steal the love for school!’
May 10, 2014: Pope Francis addressed around 300,000 school children accompanied
by their teachers, school authorities and parents and said, ‘let's not steal the
love for school! In his address the Pope brought out the different characteristics
of school life and why he loves school. He said it is synonymous with openness to
reality, that we go to school to open our mind and heart which means we need to be
open to change. Another reason is that the school is a place of meeting he said,
meeting comrades, teachers, and on the other hand the parents meet the principal,
the teachers and vice a versa. This he said is crucial in the age of growth in addition
to the family. The family is the nucleus of relationships but in schools we socialize,
meet people different from us, of different ages, culture or origin. In this way
we cultivate in us the true , the good and the beautiful ; and we learn that these
three dimensions are never separated , but always intertwined. If one thing is true
, it is good and beautiful ; if it is good , it is good and it is true ; and if it's
good, it's real and it is beautiful . And together these elements make us grow and
help us to love life , even when we are wrong, even in the midst of problems. True
education makes us love life and opens us to the fullness of life! He concluded by
thanking the organizers of this event and all those present and said ‘let's not steal
the love for school!’