Pope Francis concludes the Scholas Occurrentes event on Ecopedagogical Cities, which brought together 50 mayors from Latin America and Europe in Rome. In contact with young people from all over the world, the pontiff answers questions about educational problems, social crises and relationships with older people. When asked if he will go to Argentina, he says: “The idea is next year, let’s see if we can do that.”
Salvatore Cernuzio – Vatican City
The possibility of a trip to Argentina (“Next year, let’s see if we can”); the condemnation of bullying that “destroys” life; the call to respect every human being “as he is” in his “authenticity”; the risk of many children being “half educated” and not completing their school cycle; and concerns about the proliferation of pornography and the “commercialization of love” of which young people in particular are the victims. Then the memory of the mornings at the grandparents’ house in Buenos Aires to “learn values” and the encouragement to never emerge from “crises” alone, but always accompanied.
Pope Francis answers the questions of young and old from Latin America, the USA, Europe, the Colombian Amazon, all members of the large network of Scholas Occurrentes, the organization founded in Argentina in 2001 as a cultural response to the country’s political, economic and social crisis and then spread all over the world, especially in the poorest areas, thanks to the contribution of the then Archbishop Jorge Mario Bergoglio. Scholas, now a pontifical foundation, is now ten years old and, for the occasion, organized a congress in Rome on the theme of “Ecopedagogical Cities” with 50 Latin American and European mayors. The event ended today, May 25, with a meeting at the Augustinianum Institute in Rome, a few meters from St. Peter’s Basilica, in the presence of Pope Francis, who, as always at Scholas events, will take part in talks and musical moments and singing , videos, greetings and gift exchange. And surprisingly, it connects live to a nursing home in Granada, one of the places where the Scholas movement is running the global program “Being Together” that began during the pandemic.
The Pope at the meeting with the Scholas network
The trip to Argentina
After some private meetings at the Institute itself, the Pope arrives at the Augustinianum at around 4:30 p.m., almost an hour behind the scheduled time. He enters in a wheelchair through a side door while mayors, ambassadors, artists, athletes, influencers, entrepreneurs (like the owners of the Piccolo or Yamamay supermarkets) and “friends” of Scholas are present in the hall with their hands reproducing the feet the sound of the rain. In the background the melancholic sounds of fado on the guitar. A Portuguese mayor sings a song, another recites the lines of one of her poems. Francesco smiles, thanks, claps his hands. He then speaks to a young Argentine via video link and, when asked if he will visit his home country, responds in Spanish: “My idea is to go there next year, we’ll see if we can,” replies Francesco.
Pope Francis
educational emergency
The Pope’s answer to the education emergency and the need for an education pact, which he has already requested some time ago to be passed in every country for the new generations, is longer and more detailed. “How many young people today do not have the opportunity to get a full education? How often do we fall into the commercialization of love due to lack of sex education, and love is not for commercialization and boys are not made to be abused…”
“Educate young people,” is the Pope’s urgent request: “It is the duty of parents and of society as a whole that children receive an education.” Children who do not complete their school cycle are a burden on society.” And that young people “never commercialize” or be commercialized is the Bishop of Rome’s other invitation: “Pornography is commercialization rather than love at this moment.” And someone who loves doesn’t like to be used like that.” “It It’s good that schools have these two priorities,” says Francis, encouraging the work of Scholas on five continents: “Keep going, it’s worth it.”
Francesco related to the boys
respect for authenticity
A girl uses the screen to ask the Pope what he should do to overcome the crisis in her country; others ask questions about homophobia, racism and bullying. Bullying in particular is “very serious and destroys lives,” says Pope Francis. “Every man, woman, boy and girl has the duty to be authentic and the right to be respected,” he adds.
It is a word, “authenticity”, which is “often used but not understood”, but “when a person expresses himself authentically in this way, the others respect the person as he is”. Then the Pope widens his view of the crises that are plaguing the world and repeats, as in the most difficult moments of the pandemic: “It is necessary to recognize a crisis and to accompany it in order to get out of it.” There is no way out of a conflict, he is closed; Out of a crisis, yes, under two conditions: First, you don’t get out of a crisis alone, you have to be accompanied. Second, you don’t come out of a crisis the same way: you either come out better or worse.”
Maradona’s jersey as a gift
Among the many gifts presented – from ceramic Infant Jesus to books, T-shirts and paintings to baskets full of handmade products – the Pope will also receive a Napoli uniform, which was recently used to celebrate the Scudetto. It was delivered by the president of the team, Aurelio De Laurentiis, who immediately gave the 10, the number of Armando Maradona, the unforgettable champion, Argentinian like the Pope. “You are the number 10 of the church, the great replacement for Maradona,” he says. And from his pocket he takes out another gift, a small reproduction of a foot in gold, in memory of the Pibe de Oro: “We made a small identical foot out of Maradona’s foot.” I give her the task, against all the injustices of this one world, because it is always present in this struggle.” Pope Francis smiles, whispers a joke in his ear, then takes the ball handed to him by a soccer player and greets the Archbishop of the Neapolitan Archdiocese, Mimmo Battaglia, who says: “In Naples we move with the education pact, especially in the toughest.” neighborhoods. There is little that we can do alone as a church, if we stand alongside others it is possible to put young people at the center.” And also to help them dream, with the truth: “Because truth moves dreams. “
De Laurentiis hands over Francesco Maradona’s jersey
The memory of grandparents in Buenos Aires
The Pope speaks of dreams, focusing on the theme close to his heart: the elderly, “los abuelos”, grandparents. The starting point is another gift: a bronze sculpture representing the roots of a tree. And then Pope Bergoglio speaks of his roots, the grandparents with whom he spent whole mornings in Buenos Aires: “I had the grace to let my grandparents live until I was very big, the first grandfather to die when I was 16.” The other, that I was already a bishop…. We are migrants and my paternal grandparents lived a few meters from home. My grandmother took me to her so my mother could work with the second one and prepare for the other three we had. We are five… I spent time with my grandparents, listening to their language and learning. I had the most intensive dialogues with them, as a child I listened, that’s when I learned values.”
The meaning of the roots
The 86-year-old Pope does not forget these moments. Nobody should have to do that: “You always feel like you have to go back to your roots,” she says. “A society is ruined when the bond between root and stem breaks, when it dries up. If we don’t take the sap from there, from the roots, we dry up.” The words of the prophet Joel come back, chapter 2, verse 1, which are always quoted in the meetings with the youth on the various journeys: “The The old will dream and the young will have visions.” They can only do this when they are connected; Young people in particular “cannot dream without roots, otherwise they dream with the first dealer on the street,” warns the pontiff.
A picture of the meeting
Don’t leave the elderly alone
Hence an appeal to all older people who “have no right to die in solitary confinement…”. The pope remembers when he visited nursing homes as bishop and the nurses told of “old people” who were left alone by relatives for months. “The relationship between elders and young is natural. A society that does not care about this relationship becomes ideologized, becomes sectarian…” warns Francis. “Some parts of society hide the elderly”, instead there is only something from their “Sabiduría”, from their “wisdom”. “Do not lose the illusion”, Francis advises the young, “the elderly must be protected, the elderly must speak and give wisdom, it is necessary that the young reach out to them.”
“Adelante,” the pope finally said to the entire Scholas network: “Come on, not like the pirates,” he jokes. Finally, a long moment of greeting, handshakes and group photos with the mayors receiving the diploma of the Laudato si’ schools from the Pope: “It is not a goal, but a new beginning.”
With the mayors who received the diploma of the Laudato si’ schools