Pope Francis has visited the headquarters of Scholas Occurrentes, the educational project he has promoted since he was an archbishop in Argentina.
Scholas is a network of schools that collaborates on initiatives both locally and internationally. Its aim is to foster dialogue and respect among young people from different cultures, countries, races and religions.
At the meeting students from around the world shared their experiences in the program with the Pope. During the pandemic Scholas helped students like Valerio from Italy to overcome their feelings of loneliness. When he talked about what Scholas did for him he choked up with emotion...
VALERIO “I laid myself bare, all of my feelings and emotions, so that I could confront myself and finally be able to genuinely smile. Scholas listened to me, and was by my side.”
Scholas' network has spread across five continents, and public institutions have even gotten involved. The Italian Health Minister was present at the meeting and gave the Pope a gift made by his daughters.
“What a nice gift.”
Scholas schools virtually joined the meeting from Australia... the United States, and Spain.
The Pope also fielded questions from the students, such as what he though about the lack of trust in politicans today.
POPE FRANCIS “The test of politics is the question of war. The test of a nation's honor for me is: 'Do you produce arms for wars? Do you make your wealth by selling arms for others to kill each other?' That's how we can know whether a nation is morally sound.
Because of a connection problem, another of the Pope's comments was lost: he expressed his dissappointment in priests who bless weapons, since they are instruments of death.
Pope Francis thanked the volunteers and organizers behind Scholas and all those who support it for their efforts in the project. He said it was key to remind the world of the value of generosity, because it builds bridges and fosters dialogue.
POPE FRANCIS “Thank you for taking risks. Scholas is all about this attitude of taking risks. Of always going beyond. Because only by taking risks can we live generously. Only by taking risks can we reach the highest level of purpose, which is to celebrate. Without risk there would be nothing to celebrate.”
The first ladies of Brazil, Chile, Honduras, Panama, and the Dominican Republic all attended the meeting virtually. The first lady of Argentina, Fabiola Yáñez, represented them in-person.
Javier Romero
TR: JM
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