(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis received the participants in a major international congress under the sponsorship of the Congregation for Catholic Education on Saturday morning. For four days this week, more than 2 thousand educators, administrators, students and teachers from around the world have been examining the challenges facing the mission of Catholic education in the 21 st century, under the umbrella of Educating today and tomorrow: a passion renewed .
The Conference was organized in connection with 50 th anniversary celebrations for the II Vatican Council’s document on Catholic education: Gravissimum educationis .
Click below to hear our report
In lieu of prepared remarks, Pope Francis held a question-and-answer session with a select few of the people taking part, fielding queries on a wide array of topics ranging from the challenges of maintaining Christian identity in an educational setting across all social, political and cultural contexts, to the dissolution of the ties that historically have bound together family, school and society, to the specific challenges to education posed by the “piecemeal III World War” being fought around the world, to which Pope Francis has made repeated reference.
“Today there is a tendency toward a neopositivism,” said Pope Francis, “that is, to educate in immanent things, and this both in traditionally Christian countries and in countries of Pagan tradition.” He went on to say, “Transcendence is what is wanting – for me, the greatest crisis in education, in order that it be [truly, authentically] Christian, is this closure to transcendence.” The Holy Father went on to say, “To prepare hearts, that the Lord might manifest Himself,” is the true mission of the teacher and the goal of all education worthy of the name.
Using the example of St. John Bosco’s “emergency education” in response to the Masonic threat in northern Italy in the 19 th century, Pope Francis said, “There are three languages: the language of the head, the language of the heart, and the language of the hands; education must go forward by these three ways; instructing in how to think, helping students to feel well; accompanying students as they do [what they have learned or are learning to do].” He added, “The three languages must be in harmony: that the child, the student think [about] what he feels and does, feel that which he thinks and makes, and do that which he thinks and feels.”
The Holy Father concluded with an appeal and an assignment for the educators present and for all their colleagues, everywhere: to respond to the brutalities of war in contemporary life, by committing themselves anew to learning and teaching mercy, especially the fourteen Works of Mercy. “Think through once again the works of mercy,” he said, “they are the work of the Father.”
(from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican) The Vatican formally charged five people in connection with the unauthorized and illicit sharing of sensitive and privileged documents and information, including a pair of journalists who have written recently published books detailing alleged mismanagement in the Vatican, two officials, and a secretary to one of the officials. A statement from the Press Office of the Holy See on Friday included the detailed charge sheet, which named the journalists, Gianluigi Nuzzi and Emiliano Fittipaldi, as well as the former Vatican officials, Msgr. Lucio Vallejo Balda and Francesca Immacolata Chaouqui, along with Msgr. Vallejo’s secretary, Nicola Maio. Vallejo, Chaouqui, and Maio, are charged with criminal conspiracy “to divulge information and documents concerning the fundamental interests of the Holy See and the [Vatican City] State”, while all five defendants are charged with criminal misappropriation and misuse of Vatican documents. A hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 24 th , 2015, at 10:30 AM, in the Vatican criminal court. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) Princess Charlene of Monaco, the wife of Prince Albert II of Monaco, delivered a brief address to the participants in the 30 th Annual Conference for Healthcare Workers, sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Health Care Workers .
Click below to hear Princess Charlene in an exclusive interview with Charlotte Smeds of Vatican Radio’s Scandinavian service
In her remarks, H.S.H. Charlene focused on the work of her foundation, which works to prevent drowning.
Princess Charlene began her address with words of condolence and solidarity with the victims and all the people of France in the wake of the coordinated attacks in Paris a week ago Friday. “I would like to convey to you a message of friendship and best wishes on behalf of Prince Albert of Monaco, my Husband, our families and the people of Monaco, and to express our sadness and compassion with the families of the so many people who died and those injured during the tragic attacks in Paris,” she said.
Please find the full text of H.S.H. Charlene’s remarks to the XXX Conference for Healthcare Workers, below
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Good morning everyone,
Eminences
Excellencies
Ladies and gentlemen,
First, I would like to convey to you a message of friendship and best wishes on behalf of Prince Albert of Monaco, my Husband, our families and the people of Monaco, and to express our sadness and compassion with the families of the so many people who died and those injured during the tragic attacks in Paris.
This year, the Pontifical Council holds the 30 th edition of the Annual Conference for Healthcare Workers.
Congratulations on Your steady commitment towards public health, security and safety.
As we just heard from the distinguished representative of The World Health Organization, death by drowning is one of those serious threats to public health worldwide, especially in poor regions,
Having spent years teaching underprivileged children to acquire simple water safety techniques around aquatic environments, I can only say that simple ideas prove sometimes to be most effective.
Around the Globe, thousands of innocent lives are tragically lost to drowning every year.
I am here to share with you how many lives we are saving– and how many more we can save, simply by training the trainers and by focusing on one person, one family, one community at a time.
Eminences,
Yours Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In joining forces, in sharing experiences and resources, we will succeed in saving lives through more international cooperation in fighting death by drowning, this terrible yet silent killer.
Thank you.
The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation
Launched on 14 th December 2012, the primary objective of The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation is to save lives by putting an end to drowning.
Its missions are to raise public awareness about the dangers of water, teach children preventive measures, and teach them to swim.
The World Health Organization estimated that 372,000 people drowned worldwide in 2012(*).
More than 40 fatalities every hour
More than half the victims are under the age of 25
Children under the age of 5 are the most affected
When a drowning is non-fatal, often the victim is left with severe aftereffects, in particular neurological.
A number of “Learn to Swim” and “Water Safety” programmes have been implemented around the world in order to fight against this scourge.
The Foundation is equally involved in communicating the values of sport such as discipline, respect for oneself and for others, determination and teamwork. The “Sport & Education” program believes that sport is a tool that contributes to the well-being and the development of children.
(from Vatican Radio)…