Pope on education and training in Church life

Pope Benedict XVI today said training and education were some of the most pressing challenges that the Church and its institutions are called upon to address. The Holy Father made the remarks while addressing the participants attending the plenary meeting of the Congregation for Catholic Education.

The Congregation for Catholic Education was founded in 1915 by Pope Benedict XV to carry out work in the service of various institutions of Catholic learning. And on Monday almost hundred years later another Pope Benedict, Benedict XVI addressed those participating in the Congregation’s plenary meeting.

The themes of education and training were at the core of the Holy Fathers speech in the Consistory Hall. He told those present that both these subjects are now some of the most pressing challenges that the Church and its institutions are called upon to address.

The Pope went on to say that “educational work seems to have become increasingly difficult because, in a culture that too often make relativism its creed, the light of truth gets lost”. He also told those present that the work of the “congregation and the choices they make in these days of reflection and study will certainly contribute to responding to the current "educational emergency" as he called it.

During his speech Pope Benedict turned to the importance of seminaries in the life of the church which, he said, require an educational project, in order for a candidate for the priesthood to have the experience of being a "disciple of Jesus."

The Holy Father then looked to the world of technology in the sphere of education. He praised the internet for its ability to overcome distance to put people in contact with each other, saying it presented great opportunities for the Church and its mission. It is a tool, he added, which used prudently that can be used not only for studies but also for the pastoral work of future priests in various church fields, such as evangelization and in the management of institutions.

Finally, touching on one of the key subjects of this plenary, intercultural education, Pope Benedict said it required “courageous and innovative loyalty, that combines a clear awareness of their identity and openness to otherness, for the purposes of living together in multicultural societies.

To be a “Christian educator said the Pope is to become an expression of love and witness to the truth.
Listen to report by Lydia O'Kane