At the Vatican, October 15th was supposed to be a big day for Catholic Education. The Pope and the Congregation for Catholic Education planned to address thousands of Catholic educators from all over the world. But instead, due to the pandemic, the Pope addressed the Congregation for Catholic Education from the Vatican YouTube channel, while several panelists and many young people, masked and socially distanced, attended in the Great Hall. Others, like me, watched from our desks.

Addressing the Congregation for Catholic Education and educators all over the world, Pope Francis calls for a Global Compact on Education.

The Pope adapted his talk, which he had been planning since the Fall of 2019, to acknowledge the realities of education during a global pandemic. Specifically, he outlined existing inequities as students find themselves without access to schools. Over 10 million children were forced to leave school due to the economic impact of COVID-19. Now, when you add to the number of children who weren't receiving an education prior to COVID, over 250 million school-age children are excluded from education. What an incomprehensible number. Sadly, these young people are fated to become victims of poverty, slave labor, child marriage, and child soldiering.

Addressing this crisis, Pope Francis said "At certain moments in history, it is necessary to make radical decisions that can shape not only our way of life but above all our stance in the face of possible future scenarios." (Pope Francis, Oct. 15, 2020). He called upon families, communities schools, universities, institutions, religions, governments, and the entire human family to commit to "a global pact on education" He proposes that we shift our attention away from "superficial approaches to education and the many short-cuts associated with bureaucracy, which confuse education and instruction, and end up atomizing our cultures". His words, "confuse education with instruction" powerfully resonate with the Edmund Rice approach to forming young people. Edmund Rice believed in the transformative power of education and is still relevant and needed today. However, the context of our world has greatly changed since Edmund Rice began serving impoverished children. Our students face greater technological advances, sophisticated propaganda from nefarious sources, a politically, economically, and racially, divided world, and a great deal of fear and anxiety.

In the face of such challenges, Pope Francis urges us to be the voice of hope and to bring about a culture of compassion and change. He says "we should not expect everything from those who govern us, for that would be childish". We are the ones who must step up and act on behalf of the global common good. This calls for presence, compassion, and liberation.

The kind of transformative education Pope Francis outlines should not sound new to Edmund Rice educators, and perhaps we can consider his words to be affirmation and encouragement. However, we cannot rest on our laurels. Francis further outlines how we are to bring about societal change by offering seven guiding principles that make up the new compact. Below I have sought to correlate his principles with our Essential Elements.

New Compact

• The value and dignity of the human person should be at the center of every educational program, formal and informal.
• "We must listen to the voices of young people to whom we pass on values and knowledge in order to build together a future of justice and peace and a dignified life for every person,"
• Full participation of girls and women in education.
• See the family as the first and essential place of education.
• Educated and be educated on the need for acceptance and openness to the marginalized and most vulnerable.
• Commit to finding new ways of understanding economics, politics, growth, and progress that can serve the human person, the entire human family, and out integral ecology.
• Safeguard and protect our common home. Build a world built on sustainability and not exploitation of resources.

Essential Elements

• Essential Element 5: Celebrate the Value and Dignity of each Person and Nurture the Development of the whole person.
• Essential Element 4: Foster and Invigorate a Community of Faith.
• Essential Element 3: Stand in Solidarity with those Marginalized by Poverty and Injustice.
• Essential Element 4&6: Foster and Invigorate a Community of Faith. Collaborate and Share Responsibility for the Mission.
• Essential Element 3: Stand in Solidarity with those Marginalized by Poverty and Injustice.
• Essential Element 1&3: Evangelize Youth within the Mission of The Church. Stand in Solidarity with those Marginalized by Poverty and Injustice.

Ecumenical Emphasis

Interestingly, the Pope's compact represents a shift in educational focus. Rather than emphasizing the New Evangelization, Pope Francis points to a more open and "polyhedric" vision for education. He asks that we, along with our countries, commit ourselves to "courageously developing an educational plan . . . and introduce creative and transformative processes in cooperation with civil societies." He says education must engage society at every level and that young people's voices are pleading to be heard. We now have the opportunity to hear young people who are eager to make a difference, who cannot ignore injustice, poverty, the violation of human rights, or the waste of human potential and life.

According to the Pope, "social doctrine, the revealed word of God, and Christian humanism" are our source for determining the path forward. His language is intended to be inclusive. He along with the Congregation for Catholic education invited young people to respond to the Global Compact. Buddhists, Muslims, Catholics, and others echoed a hope for unity and harmony. They shared a profound desire for the creation of a more loving, just, and compassionate world.

The Pope, the Congregation for Catholic education, and the young people we serve are calling upon all of us (educators, governments, churches, and religious institutions, parents, etc) to invest in education, to ensure everyone has access to an excellent education, and to use the gift of education to build solidarity, compassion, and 'Fratelli Tutti" for all.