On May 14, 2020, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, invites the representatives of major religions, international organizations, and various humanitarian institutions in the academic, economic, political, and cultural sectors to subscribe an alliance to rebuild the global educational pact and hand over a solid and fraternal common home to the younger generations.

With a video message, Pope Francis announced an important event for the construction of a more fraternal and inclusive world.

On May 14, 2020, he will receive in the Vatican representatives of major religions, international organizations and humanitarian institutions, scientists and thinkers, economists, educators, sociologists and politicians, artists and sportspersons, to dialogue on the future of the Planet and subscribe a “Global Compact on Education”. It is an educational pact in which to invest the talents of all, to raise awareness and a wave of responsibility for the common good of humanity, starting with young people, and to reach all people of good will.

Never before has there been such need to unite our efforts in a broad educational alliance, to form mature individuals capable of overcoming division and antagonism, and to restore the fabric of relationships for the sake of a more fraternal humanity.

Pope Francis

The choice of education as the ground on which to make a global pact is a priority theme in the horizon of current and future scenarios.

The initiative promoted by the Holy Father, on the one hand, aims to take up and relaunch the principles that have always guided the action of the Christian community in its commitment at the formative level in schools, universities, in all initiatives of informal education, and in the paths of interreligious and intercultural dialogue. On the other hand, it aims to enhance the effort that international organizations are making to ensure a better future for the younger generations, through a reformation of educational systems to make them more suitable to face the challenges of an increasingly complex and constantly changing society.

Msgr. Angelo Vincenzo Zani, secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education, who is in charge of coordinating the event, explains, “The event to which Pope Francis invites representatives of civil, religious, social, and cultural society is a point of arrival for making known and valuing what so many people and institutions are already doing in the world. At the same time, it is a starting point for setting and sharing some essential objectives towards which to bring together the efforts of all and open new projects and paths that promote models of coexistence alternative to those of a mass and individualistic society and therefore poor in human values and prospects of hope.”

The event will take place in Rome on May 14, 2020, on the fifth anniversary of the encyclical Laudato si’. It will follow a series of thematic seminars relating to the areas of human rights, the sciences of peace, and dialogue between religions, as well as the issues concerning the educational pact between young people and adults, the pact with nature and the environment, democracy, economy, international cooperation, aspects of informal education, and those concerning migrants and refugees.

Please find all information about the event and the path that will precede it on the website: www.educationglobalcompact.org.