ROME (AP) — Pope Leo XIV has issued a compelling directive to Catholic educators, urging them to prioritize the spiritual and moral development of students over pre-professional outcomes. Speaking during a special Holy Year celebration in Rome, which drew thousands of teachers, students, and administrators, the Pope emphasized the need to integrate technology in ways that uphold human dignity. This message was formalized in a document signed on Monday, updating the 1965 Vatican guidelines for Catholic education established during the Second Vatican Council. The Catholic Church remains a global leader in education, operating over 225,000 primary and secondary schools and enrolling 2.5 million students in Catholic universities worldwide. Pope Leo, an Augustinian, stressed the importance of parents as primary educators and called for Catholic schools to collaborate with families rather than replace them. He also highlighted the role of teachers as moral exemplars, stating, ‘Educators are called to a responsibility that goes beyond their work contract: their witness is worth as much as their lessons.’ The Pope avoided contentious issues like teachers’ private lives or sexual orientation, focusing instead on the broader mission of Catholic education. He critiqued the ‘mercantilist approach’ that reduces education to functionality and practical utility, advocating instead for a vision rooted in dignity, justice, and the common good. Building on Pope Francis’s priorities of inclusion, ecology, and the common good, Leo added three new emphases: fostering students’ spiritual lives, using non-violent language, and promoting responsible technology use, including artificial intelligence. ‘The Catholic school is a place where faith, culture, and life cross paths,’ he wrote. ‘It’s not just an institution, but a living environment in which the Christian vision permeates every discipline and every interaction.’
Pope urges Catholic teachers to focus less on professional outcomes, more on spiritual lives
