General
Audience: Parents' vocation to educate children
(Vatican Radio) In his catechesis at the General Audience on
Wednesday, Pope Francis focused on the role of parents in the education of
their children, which he called “an essential characteristic” of the family.
The Holy Father noted the many difficulties facing parents
today, especially those who find themselves in difficult situations. He spoke
especially about the difficulties of separated couples, calling on them to
“never, never, never take the children hostage!”
He spoke out strongly against “intellectual critics” who have
“silenced” parents in order to defend younger generations from real or imagined
harm. This has opened up a fracture between families and societies, leading to
a crisis in the relationship between families and society. So-called experts
have often taken the place of parents, depriving them of their proper place in
the education of their own children, “even in the most delicate and personal
aspects of their lives.” Parents often are afraid to correct their children,
leaving it instead to experts. Pope Francis recalled an episode from his own
life, when he had said a bad word to his teacher, and his mother had come to
the school to make him apologize to the teacher – and then corrected him when
he got home. This wouldn’t happen today, where too often a teacher who tried to
discipline a child would be criticized by the child’s parents.
The rupture between parents and other educators can lead parents
to exclude themselves from the education of their children. “It is evident that
this approach is not good,” the Pope said. “It is not harmonious, it is not
dialogical, and rather than favouring the collaboration between families and
other educational agents, it opposes them to one another.”
Christian communities, on the other hand, “are called to offer
support for the educational mission of families – and they do so above all with
the light of the Word of God.” Pope Francis noted how the relations between
parents and children, described by St Paul, are rooted in love, which is the
gift of God. “Even in the best families there is need of support, and great
patience,” he said.
Pope Francis said that the grace of Christ brings to completion
what is written in human nature. The many examples of the wisdom of Christian
parents show that good family education is the backbone of a healthy society.
He prayed, “May the Lord grant to Christian families the faith, the liberty,
and the courage necessary for their mission!”
Below, please find the English-language summary of the Pope’s
catechesis during the weekly General Audience:
Dear Brothers and Sisters: In our catechesis on the
family, today we consider the vocation of families to educate their children,
to raise them in the profound human values which are the backbone of a healthy
society. This educational mission, essential as it is, nowadays encounters
a variety of difficulties. Parents spend less time with their children
and schools are often more influential than families in shaping the thinking
and values of the young. Yet the relationship between family and school
ought to be harmonious. Our children need sure guidance in the process of
growing in responsibility for themselves and others. Christian
communities are called to support the educational mission of families.
They do this above all by living in fidelity to God’s world, cultivating faith,
love and patience. Jesus himself was raised in a family; when he tells us
that all who hear the word of God and obey are his brothers and sisters, he
reminds us that for all their failings, our families can count on his
inspiration and grace in the difficult but rewarding vocation of educating
their children.
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