Pope to students: Freedom to
express yourself necessary for growth
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| Pope Francis opens the doors to the new Scholas Occurentes centre in the Palazzo San Callisto (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis on Friday inaugurated the new Vatican
headquarters of Scholas Occurrentes, a pontifical organization involved in
education in 190 countries around the world. Five South American "first
ladies" were also present for the event.
By Vatican News
Representatives from Scholas Occurentes from around the
world welcomed Pope Francis to the new premises of the organization in Rome.
The young formators – present either in person or via video-link – hailed from
Japan, Argentina, the United States, Haiti, Israel, Mozambique, Mexico, Spain,
and Italy.
The Pope himself opened the doors to the new centre, after
being greeted with songs and best wishes to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary
of his ordination to the priesthood.
Scholas Occurentes: creating freedom
The inauguration of the new seat of the organization also
provided an occasion for the launch of the programs for the next year of the
Foundation, which is involved in education and formation in 190 countries, and
brings together more than 500,000 institutions worldwide.
Among the participants in the day’s events were professional
athletes, artists, and business people, as well as a delegation of “First
Ladies” of South America – the latter members of the “Alma Association”, which
has chosen to support the initiatives of the pontifical foundation.
After hearing from several testimonies from children
involved in Scholas Occurentes, Pope Francis was able to offer his own
thoughts, speaking off-the-cuff. “Scholas Occurentes ddoes not proselytize, but
creates freedom”, the Pope said, “because it gambles on what each person has in
their heart, which is the capacity to grow and to build their own future”.
Poetry and creativity
Pope Francis praised the ability of Scholas Occurentes to
help young people express themselves freely, within a group that is able to
accompany them and assist them on their journey. He spoke of a kind of positive
“lack of inhibition” in expressing what is held deep inside – a freedom that he
said can be conveyed by the word “poetry”. Poetry does not mean “alienating
oneself in things that fly high”; rather, “it is creativity”. Human beings are
“either creative, or they remain children, they do not grow”, the Pope said.
A new centre in Los Angeles
The Holy Father also took part, via video-link, in the
inauguration of another new Scholas Occurentes centre in the city of Los
Angeles, with the city’s Archbishop, José Gomez, and mayor, Eric Garcetti, both
present in California for the event. The Los Angeles centre is the fourteenth
in the world; last month, another centre was opened in Japan.
Next year, Scholas Occurentes will undertake a number of
initiatives, including a worldwide event, set for 14 May, on the theme
“Rebuilding the Global Educational Pact”, which aims at re-launching a dialogue
between the generations for a more open and inclusive education for
children.
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